True Fitness 550ZTX User manual

Owner’s
Guide
550 ZTX

Intensive quality control
standards guarantee
excellence in every
phase of production,
resulting in the finest
treadmills available in
the marketplace.
True treadmills are
consistently rated #1
for their smooth, quiet
and comfortable
performance. Today,
True is the choice for
workouts among
beginners, rehab
patients and top athletes
world-wide.
In 1981, Frank Trulaske
launched True Fitness
Technology, Inc. and
began manufacturing
hand-crafted
treadmills.
His team’s obsession
with quality has
propelled True to the
top of the industry and
has created one of
America’s oldest,
largest and most
respected treadmill
manufacturers. True’s
242,000 square foot
facility, just outside St.
Louis, Missouri, houses
the manufacturing
plant, engineering
laboratory and
testing facility.
Over the years, True has
designed, developed and
fabricated new and cutting-edge
components for their complete
residential and commercial
treadmill line, including
innovative frame and
suspension systems.
Thank You For Selecting A True Treadmill
“Our original
goal was to
build the
world’s best
treadmills, and
today we
believe we’re
doing it!”
-Frank Trulaske

Table of Contents
550ZTX Treadmill Owner’s Guide
1 - Introduction
Introduces key
features, as well as a
guide to where to go
next in this manual.
page 1
2 - The Console
Describes each key
and display window.
page 9
3 - Basic
Operation
How to get the treadmill
started and stopped,
as well as discussing
calories estimation and
heart rate monitoring.
page 15
4 - Operation in
Greater Detail
All the details of
manual and preset
programs.
page 25
5 - Heart Rate
Control Workouts
Four different kinds
of treadmill-controlled
heart rate feedback
workouts.
page 33
6 - User
Programs
You can record your
workout to play back
as a custom-
designed workout.
page 45
7 - Designing
an Exercise
Program
Advice on various ways
to use your treadmill in
a rewarding exercise
regime.
page 49
8 - Care and
Maintenance
Basic requirements,
as well as a simple
troubleshooting and
diagnostics guide.
page 59
9 - Important
Safety Instructions
Be sure to familiarize
yourself with this
section.
page 69
Appendix A - Target Heart Rate Chart: A guide to help you
pick an initial target heart rate. page 75
Appendix B - METs Table: How speed and incline affect
workload, expressed in METs. page 79
Appendix C - METs Explanation and Formulas : The metabolic
formulas behind energy expenditure estimates. page 83
Appendix D - Specifications: The physical attributes of your
550ZTX Treadmill. page 87
Bibliography - References and selected readings. page 91

Introduction
In This Chapter:
Model Differences
Top Features
Where to Go From Here
chapter one
550ZTX Treadmill Owner’s Guide 1
CHAPTER 1: Introduction
CHAPTER 2: The Console
CHAPTER 3: Basic Operation
CHAPTER 4: Operation in Greater Detail
CHAPTER 5: Heart Rate Control Workouts
CHAPTER 6: User Programs
CHAPTER 7: Designing an Exercise Program: The F.I.T. Concept
CHAPTER 8: Care and Maintenance
CHAPTER 9: Important Safety Instructions

550ZTX Treadmill Owner’s Guide 3
INTRODUCTION
Model Differences
INTRODUCTION
Your new 550 ZTX treadmill, the finest home treadmill ever
produced, is part of a family of three treadmills with a variety
of combinations of features. Since this owner's guide covers
all three models, you might notice explanations of features
that are different from your treadmill.
Here are the differences between the three models:
Programmed (P) model:
w 10 x 25 pixel tri-color LED matrix display
w all four pre-set workout programs
w no heart rate receiver or heart rate control
Heart Rate Control (HRC) model adds:
w four different heart rate control modes
w Polar heart rate receiver
MODEL
DIFFERENCES

550ZTX Treadmill Owner’s Guide
4
INTRODUCTION
Top Features
INTRODUCTION
Cardiointeractive (CI) model adds:
w larger 14 x 50 pixel tri-color LED matrix display
w motorized S.O.F.T. Select deck softness adjustment
Your 550 ZTX treadmill has all the expected features of a
premium fitness product, such as four interesting pre-
programmed workouts, a wide-ranging Manual workout mode,
and displays of distance and calorie accumulation.
But it also has some unique and useful features that bring you
increased convenience, comfort, and performance:
S.O.F.T. Select:actually change the way the treadmill deck
feels to your footplants. (See Chapter 3.)
Top
Features

550ZTX Treadmill Owner’s Guide 5
INTRODUCTION
More on Top Features
INTRODUCTION
User Programs: record up to
three different workouts simply
by using Manual mode — the
treadmill remembers each one
individually so you can use them
later as your own custom
programmed workout. (See Chapter 6.)
True Touch keys: feather-light
sensitivity eases data entry and
control.
In the HRC and CI models:
Heart Rate Control: the
treadmill controls both speed
and incline to keep your heart
rate in a target zone. Nine
different workout setups, mixed
between time- or distance-based
workouts, can be saved to use later. (See Chapter 7.)
Interval Heart Rate Control: a target heart rate work interval
is mixed with a reduced workload
rest interval, and you pick how
long each of these is. Five different
target and interval setups can be
saved.
Cruise Control: set your current heart rate as your target
heart rate by pressing a single key.

550ZTX Treadmill Owner’s Guide
For Your Safety
I NTRODUCTION
6
I
NTRODUCTION
For your maximum safety and comfort, make sure you
read Chapter 9, Important Safety Instructions.
Chapter 2: The Console. Describes each console key and
display window.
Chapter 3: Basic Operation. How to get the treadmill started
and stopped; calorie consumption estimates; heart rate
monitoring; the S.O.F.T. Select system.
Chapter 4: Operation in Greater Detail. All the details of
manual and pre-set programs.
Chapter 5: Heart Rate Control Workouts. Four different kinds
of treadmill-controlled heart rate feedback workouts.
Chapter 6: User Programs. You can record your workout to
play back as a custom-designed workout.
Chapter 7: Designing an Exercise Program. Advice on various
ways to use your treadmill in a rewarding exercise regime.
Chapter 8: Care and Maintenance. Basic requirements, as well
as a simple troubleshooting and diagnostics guide.
Chapter 9: Important Safety Instructions. Make sure you
familiarize yourself with this section.
For Your
Safety
Where to
Go From
Here

Where to Go From Here
INTRODUCTION
550ZTX Treadmill Owner’s Guide 7
INTRODUCTION
Appendix A: Target Heart Rate Chart. A guide to help you
pick an initial target heart rate.
Appendix B: METs Table. How speed and incline affect
workload, expressed in METs.
Appendix C: METs Explanation and Formulas. The metabolic
calculations behind energy expenditure estimates.
Appendix D: Specifications.
Bibliography: References and selected readings.

The Console
In This Chapter:
Lower Console
Cardiointeractive (CI) Model Console
HRC Model Console
Programmed Model Console
chapter two
550ZTX Treadmill Owner’s Guide 9
CHAPTER 1: Introduction
CHAPTER 2: The Console
CHAPTER 3: Basic Operation
CHAPTER 4: Operation in Greater Detail
CHAPTER 5: Heart Rate Control Workouts
CHAPTER 6: User Programs
CHAPTER 7: Designing an Exercise Program: The F.I.T. Concept
CHAPTER 8: Care and Maintenance
CHAPTER 9: Important Safety Instructions

Lower Console
THE CONSOLE
550ZTX Treadmill Owner’s Guide 11
THE CONSOLE
Select/Enter
Accepts workout
parameters, and
toggles the dual
function displays.
Speed Slow/Fast
Adjusts speed in 0.1 mph
increments. Also used to
set weight and other
workout parameters.
Stop/Pause
Stops the belt and
pauses workout. If held
for 3 seconds, resets all
workout information.
Grade Up/Down
Adjusts incline. Also
used to choose
programs.
Start/Reset
Starts the belt in motion.
Also resets workout data
when held for 3 seconds.
Safety Key
Removable magnetic key
must be in place for
treadmill to operate.
Numeric Keys
Direct entry of
numeric data.
Lower Console - Common to all Models
Enter
Identical to Select/Enter
with additional function
when changing speed or
incline using numeric keys.
Clear
Clears current
numeric entry.

550ZTX Treadmill Owner’s Guide
Cardiointeractive Model BASIC OPERATION
12
THE CONSOLE
Distance
Miles traveled in 0.01
mile increments up to
9.99 miles, or 0.10
mile increments past
10 miles. Can also be
set to count down.
Grade
Incline in percent grade
in 0.5% increments.
Time
Time remaining in your
workout. (This is
elapsed time in default
Manual mode or Quick
Start.)
Pace
Time per mile
at current
speed.
Calories
Estimated
total calories
burned.
METs
Energy
expenditure
rate. See
Appendix C.
Speed
Miles per
hour in
0.10
increments.
Soft Select Adjustment
Changes the softness of the
treadmill deck.
Matrix Display
Shows workout progress.
Message Center
Provides workout setup
instructions, and data
feedback during workout.
Express Keys
Instantly change from program
to program.
CI (Cardiointeractive) Model Console

HRC Model
THE CONSOLE
550ZTX Treadmill Owner’s Guide 13
THE CONSOLE
Distance
Miles traveled in 0.01
mile increments up to
9.99 miles, or 0.10
mile increments past
10 miles. Can also be
set to count down.
Grade
Incline in percent grade
in 0.5% increments.
Time
Time remaining in your
workout. (This is
elapsed time in default
Manual mode or Quick
Start.)
Pace
Time per mile
at current
speed.
Calories
Estimated
total calories
burned.
METs
Energy
expenditure
rate. See
Appendix C.
Speed
Miles per
hour in
0.10
increments.
Matrix Display
Shows workout progress.
Express Keys
Instantly change from program
to program.
HRC Model Console

550ZTX Treadmill Owner’s Guide
Programmed Model BASIC OPERATION
14
THE CONSOLE
Distance
Miles traveled in 0.01
mile increments up to
9.99 miles, or 0.10
mile increments past
10 miles. Can also be
set to count down.
Grade
Incline in percent grade
in 0.5% increments.
Time
Time remaining in your
workout. (This is elapsed
time in default Manual
mode or Quick Start.)
Pace
Time per mile
at current
speed.
Calories
Estimated
total calories
burned.
METs
Energy
expenditure
rate. See
Appendix C.
Speed
Miles per
hour in
0.10
increments.
Matrix Display
Shows workout progress.
Express Keys
Instantly change from program
to program.
Programmed Model Console

Basic Operation
In This Chapter:
Starting Your Treadmill Safely
Speed and Incline Adjustment
Stopping your Treadmill Safely
Setting Your Weight
A Note About Calorie Expenditure Calculations
Monitoring Your Heart Rate
Using the Heart Rate Transmitter Strap
The Treadmill’s Heart Rate Display
The S.O.F.T. Select System
chapter three
550ZTX Treadmill Owner’s Guide 15
CHAPTER 1: Introduction
CHAPTER 2: The Console
CHAPTER 3: Basic Operation
CHAPTER 4: Operation in Greater Detail
CHAPTER 5: Heart Rate Control Workouts
CHAPTER 6: User Programs
CHAPTER 7: Designing an Exercise Program: The F.I.T. Concept
CHAPTER 8: Care and Maintenance
CHAPTER 9: Important Safety Instructions