Looking for a commercial quality treadmill for your home gym? When it comes to high-end home cardio equipment, Precor is a market leader. Its TRM 425 Series Treadmill, while by no means cheap, delivers the style, functionality, and robustness that you need to power your home cardio area.
In this article, we go under the hood on the Precor TRM 425 treadmill to find out if it’s as good as the hype.
Precor TRM 425 Review
Key Specs:
- Dimensions: 79” L x 34” W x 59.5” H
- Running Bed: 56” x 22 inches
- Max Speed: 12 mph
- Programs: 9
- Incline: -2 - +15
- Motor: 3.0 CHP
- Folding: No
PROS:
CONS:
Ergonomics
The Precor TRM 425 treadmill is designed to work with your body. It features a unique stride support to help you to maintain a natural gait and stride cadence. The leather handlebars are naturally positioned to provide maximum support. You also get a centrally located LCD monitor with large keys to make it easy to operate when you’re exercising.
Motor
At a rating of 3.0 CHP, the motor on the Precor 425 is the most powerful you’ll find in the home fitness treadmill market. CHP stands for continuous horsepower and means that the level of power output is consistently high throughout the entire course of your cardio workout. The powerful motor will also ensure that it will keep powering even the most intense workouts for many years to come.
Console
The monitor on the TRM 425 provides you with a 5-inch LCD screen with an acrylic overlay. The screen is split into a number of zones, such as workout data, workout metrics, and program information.
Wireless Heart Rate Monitoring
The Precor TRM 425 comes with wireless heart rate monitoring capabilities that works with any Polar transmitter. It even provides you with a wireless chest strap so you can use this feature right away. This is the most accurate way to monitor your pulse while exercising. This allows you to ensure that you are training within your target heart rate zone.
One of the programs that are built into the treadmill is the SmartRate Zone heart rate program. This will work out for you the ideal zone to work in to align with your specific training goal.
Incline + Decline
The TRM 425 provides you with auto incline and decline functionality. This allows you to boost the intensity of your workout which is great for those who are into HIIT training. You have the ability to go to a -2% decline and a +15% incline, which is a pretty impressive range. You do not come across many home use treadmills that offer a decline option, so this is a key feature.
Wide Deck
The running deck on the Precor TRM 425 is wider than most, at 22 inches. The standard is 20 inches. The extra couple of inches may not sound like much but it could make the difference between a constricted unnatural movement and a natural running gait.
Integrated Foot Plant Technology
Precors’ Integrated Foot Technology is an exclusive feature that significantly reduces the stress on your knees and ankles with every step that you take on this machine. It instantly adjusts the belt speed to match the slowing and accelerating natural motion of your foot as you run or walk.
Ground Effects Impact Control System
The patented Ground Effects Impact Control System provides the ideal level of cushioning. It places precisely engineered shock absorbers along the front of the deck. At the same time, the rear of the deck is more rigid to provide a stable surface for an easy push off and safe running.
Warranty
The warranty that you get when you buy the TRM 425 is pretty impressive. You get a lifetime frame warranty, which you would expect on a product in this price range. But what really impresses is the 10-year warranty on parts. That is a lot longer than what the competition offers and affords you a lot of protection against parts break down.
What’s Not So Good
- Limited Programs
The Precor TRM 425 provides you with 9 built-in workout programs. This is not very many, especially when you take a look at the price of this treadmill. Many treadmills that are thousands of dollars less expensive give you double that number or more!
- Frame
The frame on the Precor 425 looks nice but it is actually not that solid. It is not made from durable solid steel. However, it does come with a lifetime warranty, so if does fail, at least you will be covered.
- Expense
The Precor 425 is at the very top of the high-end home gym market. That will put it out of the reach of the majority of home gym enthusiasts. More likely buyers will be personal trainers and others who operate a small studio and are not keen to pay the price of a fully-fledged commercial gym treadmill.
- Fanless
A built-in fan to cool you down is a pretty standard feature on most quality treadmills. The fact that this high-end model does not provide one is quite surprising – and a little disappointing.
What Others Are Saying
While there are not a lot of customer reviews currently. One purchaser commented on how easy the running bed was on his joints but also lamented that it did not come with a cord to connect his iPad.
Final Thoughts
If your budget allows, the Precor TRM 425 is a great treadmill that will last for decades even when used every day. It provides you with a very powerful motor, great ergonomics, and superior joint-friendly technology. There is a reason why Precor is used in many gyms throughout the country. This unit would be ideal for small studio applications.