In 2019, Kim Kardashian decided to gift all of her sisters — and the queen, Kris Jenner herself — a booty-centric workout machine on Christmas Day. Called The DB Method, the simple, $229 machine works to target the three (yes, three) muscles that make up your buttocks: the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, and gluteus minimus.
I'll never forget the ensuing Instagram stories. Kim's trainer giving it a whirl. Kris gushing over the "booty machine." For some reason, I was riveted.
So when I had a chance to test out The DB Method on my own, I jumped on it. First, I visited the company's headquarters to get a lesson in how to use the machine. (They invited me; but the how-to instructions that come with the machine are really all you need.) Then I was shipped a Kardashian-approved DB Method of my very own.
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After I changed into leggings, I turned to the brand's active YouTube page to check out their workouts. They have a ton, from the Beginner Workout to Cardio Sculpt to Full-Body Flex.
I started with the aptly named Beginner Workout. It was easy enough to get into a rhythm, though the standard move felt very different from regular squats. The footrests point your toes up, and the handlebars let you lean back farther than you would normally. These little tweaks hyper-target the glutes. And you feel it. Within a couple movements, I knew for sure my butt muscles were being activated.
Honestly, I think my glutes had gotten a little lazy during my usual exercise routine, because by the end of the 10-minute Beginner Workout, I could really feel the burn in my backside. The machine controls your range of motion, so your body can't try to divert weight off your bottom and onto your thigh muscles — your backside bears the brunt of the pressure. I could tell.
As much as I love a good butt-building session, I also wanted to test out the machine's claim that it could be used for a whole-body workout. After the Beginner Workout, I completed the Arms & Chest and Ab Series. The videos were all led by DB Master Trainer Ashley Rosenberg, and in total it took about 30 minutes to complete.
Working out your arm muscles involved pushing down on The DB Method's seat from various positions. These moves were pretty easy to figure out; the ab exercises, though, were a little tricker. To perform a standing crunch, you simply stood and pressed down on the seat with both hands, using your core muscles to generate the force. It took some practice to make sure I was engaging the right muscles and not just... bending over.
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While you can't change the resistance of the machine, there are other ways you can amp up your workout. The brand sells their own add-on accessories, such as resistance bands and a ten-pound weighted belt called the DreamBelt that adds some extra intensity to your squats. I experimented with wearing weighted Bala bangles during one workout that called for some arm-swinging — I probably looked ridiculous, but I was satisfactorily sore the next day.
If you live in a small space and are rolling your eyes at the idea of cluttering up some random corner with a squat machine, the DB folds up flat enough to be slipped under your bed or even a couch. This is ideal for those living in smaller-sized apartments or for those just don't want to add clutter to their homes.
In all, I'd say that The DB Method is a good piece of equipment to have in your home. It won't replace heavy weights — and I'll probably stick with regular crunches, versus the DB's standing version — but it's definitely a good way to supplement a full-body sweat sesh. As for my behind... While it isn't quite Kardashian-sized yet, I do think The DB Method is helping me get a little closer.