According to Proform, the Proform Crosswalk treadmill series, which includes the Proform 570 Crosswalk, the 780 Crosswalk and the 980 CS give a great total body toning workout because they boast Crosswalk Arms which work the upper body during a traditional cardio workout. This, they say, can increase your calorie burning by up to 50%.

Yippeee! Yes, great news but wait a minute.

Elsewhere we have discussed Proform’s confusing product line. Like just about everything to do with Proform’s Machiavellian model line, the Crosswalk Series has a wrinkle in its rollers.

For example, you might think that to be part of the Crosswalk series a machine must include ohhhhhh ... say... Crosswalk Arms. Yep. You might think so but you’d be wrong.

Slap bang in the middle of the price range in the ProForm Crosswalk Series is the ProForm 980 CS. It has iFit technology, comes with an iFit Journal, has 8 built-in competition workouts, a CoolAire fan, a sound system, adjustable cushioning and a 3.0 CHP motor. It even has a heart rate monitor and two stubby handrails but guess what? It does not have Crosswalk Arms!

Amusingly one buyer review for the Proform 980 CS includes the words “Not what I expected!” Well no it wouldn’t be if what the buyer thought he was getting was a mid-range Crosswalk treadmill.

Still, presumably ProForm have their own mysterious reasons for grouping these three treadmills together so let’s take a look and see what they each have to offer.

The 570 Crosswalk has a 2.8 HP Mach Z Drive Motor. Both the 780 Crosswalk and the 980 CS have 3.0 CHP motors. The difference between the 2.8 and the 3.0 motors may not seem great but the real difference is in the type of power. HP references the means the motor’s performance peak while CHP references the motor’s regular output. With that in mind the motor on the 570 is considerably less powerful than the other two.

At up to 12mph the 980 CS offers more speed and it also has an incline of up to 12%. The other two have top speeds of 10mph and no incline. Making use of an incline feature targets different muscle groups so is a nice option to have on a treadmill.

The running surface is longer on the 980 CS. Although the surface on the others at 55” is most likely sufficient for most runners, those who are very tall or who have a particularly long stride would appreciate the extra 5” on the 980 CS.

The 570 and the 780 both offer a low impact cushioned surface called ProSoft Plus Cushioning which Proform claim reduces stress on joints by up to 22%. In contrast the 980 CS has ProStride cushioning which is is adjustable and can reduce impact by up to 28%

It’s always a good idea to choose a treadmill which offers enough challenge and variety to prevent workouts from becoming monotonous. In that regard all three machines have a good menu of programs. The 570 and 780 Crosswalks each have 3 interactive Crosswalk workouts and 12 quick select workouts. The 980 CS has 8 competition, 8 performance and 8 weightloss workouts. It also has the extensibility of iFit technology although workout cards to use with it cannot be included in the base cost of the machine. What it doesn’t have, as discussed above is Crosswalk walk Arms – go figure!

All three machines have built-in CoolAire fans although only the 980 CS has a sound system and MP3 input jack.

Quite frankly the warranty on all three machines leaves a lot to be desired but the 570 and 780 Crosswalk both have one of the worst warranties of any that are reviewed on this site. A 25 year coverage on frame and motor doesn’t sound so bad but only 90 days on parts and labor? Shows how much confidence Proform has in the 570 and 780 don’t you think?

With lifetime coverage on frame and motor and one year coverage on parts and labor the 980 CS is marginally better. Lifetime coverage on the frame and motor is pretty standard these days and you really should expect at least two years warranty without resorting to the trader’s extended warranty options.

So apart from serious misgivings about the warranty and its lack of Crosswalk Arms we claim the champion of the Crosswalk series to be the 980CS. It has a good motor, longer running surface, more speed, incline options, plenty of built-in programs and is extensible via iFit technology to include many more. It has a fan and a sound system.

At a sale price of $949 the 980 CS is a better deal besides which who in their right mind would pay the $1,299 for the 780 Crosswalk which can fall to pices after 3 months with no comeback to the company at all!