It’s not often you come across a dedicated exercise machine for working out the butt, however today is your lucky day. Body Solid actually make such a magical machine – and have aptly named it the “Glute Master“.
Keep reading to find out more about this piece of equipment in my Powerline PGM200X Glute Master review! If you’re serious about building an enviable set of tighter and rounder buns, this may just be your weapon of choice.
Powerline PGM200X Glute Master Review
Name: PGM200X Glute Master
Website: BodySolid, but you can get it for the cheapest price at Amazon.com
Price: $279.69 (at the time of writing)
Manufacturer: Body-Solid
Jolie’s Rating: 4 out of 5
The Powerline PGM200X Glute Master: An Overview
Body Solid’s PGM200X Glute Master is an exercise machine specifically designed for exercising the glutes in a very effective isolation movement. The best part about this machine is that it provides a safe way to add resistance (and a decent amount of it), which is the fastest way to build muscle mass and strength.
This machine will allow you to do ‘donkey kick‘ exercises (AKA glute kickbacks) with added weight. The standard 1 inch diameter weight horn allows you to add weight plates which can increase the resistance on your donkey kicks up to a maximum of 75lb per leg.
The video below shows the PGM200X in action:
What You Get
The Powerline PGM200X Glute Master is made by Body-Solid, a reputable company who have been making fitness products for over 25 years.
Features of this machine include:
- Soft-grip handles, knee, chest, and forearm pads ensure comfort while aiding isolation of the glutes
- Adjustable forearm pads slide forwards/backwards to suit individuals of any height
- Standard weight horn (maximum 75lb loading)
- Quality rollers for smooth operation
The Glute Master comes disassembled, so you’ll need to assemble it yourself by following the instructions in the user manual.
The Good & The Bad
The Good
- Specifically targets the gluteal muscles and allows for a safe way to add weight for resistance
- Allows you to work each side of the glutes in isolation
- Adjustable pads and handles to ensure proper form
- 10 year warranty on frame, 1 year warranty on parts
The Bad
- You can only do one type of exercise on this machine – glute kickbacks
- Machine requires assembly
- Weight plates not included
- Some mixed feedback from users on the machine quality (but it should be noted that Body Solid do have a good reputation for quality equipment)
- Takes up a lot of space
Who Is The PGM200X Glute Master For?
This machine is worth considering if you are building a home gym and want to include a piece of specialty equipment for targeting the often-forgotten-about gluteal muscles.
If you are wanting to build bigger, stronger glutes, then donkey kicks (or glute kickbacks, as they are also known) are an excellent move for isolating the butt muscles. The Glute Master machine is one of the only ways I’ve seen so far to add any substantial amount of weight (safely) to this move.
Adding resistance is the key to building larger muscles, and the glutes are no exception. Unfortunately it’s not easy to load up the glutes in isolation, but the Glute Master is one of the ways that you can do exactly that. With a maximum rating of 75lb, that’s a hefty amount of weight to train your glutes with – and keep in mind this is per leg!
For those who might own a gym – this is an innovative piece of equipment to add to your establishment. While it is a specialty piece of equipment, since you can only do one exercise with it, don’t let that turn you off. The gluteal muscles are underworked in many people, and this machine offers a way to target the butt muscles in isolation in a way that many other machines simply don’t.
Who Isn’t it For?
The Glute Master is a little on the pricey side, so I wouldn’t recommend it to those who are looking for a more versatile exercise machine that can be used for multiple types of exercises.
Keep in mind that the PGM200X is only suited for doing one type of exercise (albeit a very effective glute-building one). So unless you are specifically looking to do some serious glute-training, you may be better off with something else.
In my opinion this machine is set up for one thing – adding a good amount of resistance on donkey kicks. So if the idea of working with heavy weights puts you off, I suggest you either do a bit more research on the benefits of weightlifting, or look for something else that will suit your fitness goals.
Powerline PGM200X Glute Master Specifications
Dimensions: 67″(L) x 27″(W) x 60″ (H)
Machine weight: 84 pounds
Maximum load: 75 lb. (Standard 1″ weight horn accepts generic free-weight plates)
What The Reviews Say
User reviews for the Glute Master seem positive overall, though there are some negative reviews (mostly regarding assembly and machine quality).
Some have complained that the instructions are hard to follow for machine assembly, but these are available online and seem quite detailed. The assembly is broken down into steps and exploded views show exactly what needs to go where.
Other negative reviews that I found were regarding the machine quality. I did a bit of research into Body-Solid, the manufacturing company, and found that their products are generally of a high quality. They also offer a decent warranty on their equipment. It is possible that the poor user experiences were in part due to incorrect assembly of the machine, but this is just my speculation.
While the Glute Master is not a commercial-quality machine, it is sturdy and reliable enough for home use.
It is important to ensure that the pads are adjusted correctly for your body, in particular the chest pad. Unfortunately the owner’s manual does not give much instruction on how to actually use the machine correctly (it is largely just assembly instructions). It is extremely important to keep the back in a neutral position while exercising with the Glute Master. The chest pad should be used not as a full support, but as a reminder to not arch the back. You’ll need to keep your core muscles engaged – check out how to do donkey kicks for more pointers on good form.
Overall Impressions
In summary, the PGM200X Glute Master is both innovative and specialized. This is the first piece of exercise equipment I have seen that allows for decent weight-loading of a glute isolation exercise.
I’d only suggest this for those who are serious about building their glutes. The machine is somewhat expensive and does take up a fair amount of space, and since you can only do one exercise with it, you’ll definitely want to be using it regularly in order to get your money’s worth!
Powerline PGM200X Glute Master at a Glance…
Name: Powerline PGM200X Glute Master
Available From: Amazon.com
Manufacturer: Body-Solid
Price: $279.69
Overall Rating: 4 out of 5
VERDICT: Legitimate equipment choice for serious butt-builders
=> Click here to check out the PGM200X Glute Master at Amazon.com <=
I have used this machine before and it works great! I have never been sore like I was the day after using this machine.
Hey Kyle, that’s awesome. I expected that from the Glute Master, there’s nothing like feeling sore (the good kind of sore) after lifting heavy!
Having a nice rounded butt is something we all want. Having a firm butt is even better. Truth is I tried many exercises to get the second mention characteristic and ended up discouraged as it takes a hard work and time to achieve such result. This machine seems promising. Thanks for this detailed review
The secret to getting great results really is building muscle mass, and the best way to do that is to start using heavy weights. Unfortunately a lot of women who want a firmer, rounder butt are also too afraid of heavy weights to use them. Hopefully this machine will help bridge that divide!
Seems like an idea to make a machine for this exercise. I’ve seen the exercise before and always thought it would be better to add some weights some how. This looks like it’s exactly for that!
I was initially kind of turned off because this machine is so specialist, but am becoming more and more convinced that this is exactly what makes this machine awesome! I was racking my brain for any other idea on how to add a lot of weight to donkey kicks, but really haven’t come up with anything else that could work as safely.
Hi Jolie!
The Powerline PGM200X Glute Master looks like a serious piece of machinery for someone serious about fitness!
I found it unusual that it can be used to do only one exercise, the “Glute Kickback” or donkey kick.
Most home fitness machines these days seem to be used for many different types of exercises.
For gluts, I always got best results from doing squats.
Would you say this machine can be used as a replacement for doing free weight squats?
It depends on what you are trying to achieve. Squats are a great compound exercise that target many muscles, including the glutes. However, they’re a quad dominant move – so it’s not uncommon for most people to find that they feel squats in their thighs and legs rather than the butt.
Like you’ve said, the glutemaster machine only can do one exercise, which is why it’s quite specialist. It really would only suit those who are looking to train just their glutes in isolation. This can be a great way to help activate lazy glutes as it forces you to use those muscles (whereas in other excercises, more dominant muscles might take over from the glutes).
Thank you for a very honest review… I’ve been including some glute exercises in my HIIT workouts recently and, I have to admit, I think the same exercise without the weights is a good enough “butt worker”… One of my other favourite glute exercises is on hands and knees, putting my leg out straight to the side, and trying to write the alphabet with my toes!! Sounds strange, but it really works those glutes!
Thanks for sharing!!
Trying to write the alphabet, that’s a good one! I don’t doubt that would give a great butt workout, there’s heaps of butt exercises that are based on that position you’ve described, and tracing out the alphabet with your foot is actually a great way to get a whole heap of motions that will really get the glutes firing. Thanks for that idea, I’ll definitely be giving it a go!
Hey, Jolie! Your review is so straightforward and unbiased, I’m really glad to see that you’re giving us a fair description. I just have a quick question: Do Kangoo Jumps help you to get a rounded butt at all or is it just cardio? Bottom line, I really like this website and I’ll keep watching it.
Kangoo jumps are pretty interesting, I’d never actually heard of those before! Just finished checking them out and they are basically just a bouncy shoe. From what I can tell they look like they’d be similar to jumping on a trampoline, so definitely would be cardio!
In terms of helping to work your butt though, I’d be a little less convinced. I think you could try using the Kangoo Jumps for doing plyometric butt exercises (think frog jumps/squat jumps, ice skaters, explosive stair climbers etc.), but I am a little skeptical if just doing regular bouncy running would do much for your butt!