11 Popular Sex Positions for Satisfying Sex

What are the best sex positions, according to the Lovehoney Forum?

All 11 of the sex positions in this list are tried-and-true favorites. In fact, most of them— including Missionary, Reverse Rider, Pretzel (a.k.a Sidewind Her), Hard Press, and Doggy Style—are frequently brought up on Lovehoney Forum, where real couples share their tips and tricks for a better sex life.

Doggy Style is a particular fave, with posters waxing poetic about the view for the giving partner and how easy it is to integrate hair pulling. Meanwhile, many people who enjoy receiving anal penetration love how much control they have over depth and rhythm during Rider and Reverse Rider.

11 popular sex positions and how to make them better

Whether you want your G-spot hit, clitoris stroked, or butt worshipped, there’s a popular sex position that will satiate your craving. The picks below will have you coming back for seconds again and again.

The potential for eye-gazing and full-body connection can increase intimacy and feelings of closeness. The proximity between your mouth and your partner’s ears makes this classic position excellent for dirty talk (e.g., “you feel so good”) or whispering sweet somethings (e.g. “I love being this close to you”).

Play with body position to change the specific hot spots getting stroked. If you’re the bottom partner, keep your legs flat and pelvis towards the mattress so each stroke slides along your nerve-dense entrance. If you’re the top partner, experiment with moving your hips up two inches to help your penis or dildo find your boo’s G-zone or prostate.

Hot tip

Slipping a sex wedge under the receiving partner’s hips can facilitate depth during vaginal intercourse, increasing the likelihood of achieving A-spot and C-spot (cervical) stimulation, as well supporting ease of entry during anal. Meanwhile, a vibrating cock ring can provide hands-free clitoral stimulation to the receiver while stimulating the giver’s penis (if they have one).

Expert advice: If you’re playing with a strap-on, try a vibrating dildo for hands-free buzz. The vibration will satisfy the receiver while also traveling down the toy’s shaft to the wearer’s pubic area for a little tease.

“It can enhance intimacy, allow for more controlled, rhythmic movements, and facilitate deep penetration,” she says.

If penetration or genital-to-genital contact is on the menu, the top partner should scoot all the way up until their bits are touching their partner’s. Alternatively, the top partner can grind against the bottom partner’s thigh, knee, or calf as either of you uses your hand or bullet vibe to stimulate the bottom’s genitals externally.

Hot tip

If you’re the top and find kneeling uncomfortable, Carolina suggests a standing alternative. Here, your partner will lie with their legs over the side of the bed, while you stand and use the leverage of the floor to hump, bump, or thrust.

Like any good sex position, the Pretzel is best enjoyed with a squirt (or six) of good-quality lubricant. It’s normal for your natural vaginal wetness to dry up after a while, so penetrative sex can become more friction than fun without lube.

Expert advice: Silicone-based lubricant is long-lasting and super silky, but water-based lube is compatible with condoms and silicone sex toys. For a good all-rounder, go for a water-based lube and reapply as often as you need.

And, if you’re the giving partner, you can use the floor and your partner’s hips as leverage, which can make finding a pleasurable rhythm easier.

Hot tip

Exploring the Edge of Glory as prescribed requires a Goldilocks mattress that is not too high or too low—too low can force the standing partner to assume a position that’s uncomfortable on their lower back long term, and too high and penetration may not be possible at all, or more shallow than preferred. Thankfully, there are workarounds.

If the mattress is lower than the standing partner’s member, a sex wedge can lift their bits and bum two to three inches higher. If the mattress is too high, an over-the-door sex swing or sling is a good workaround. This customizable sex aid can suspend the receiving partner in mid-air at whatever height makes sense for you.

If you’re on top, you can grind down against your partner, which will help stimulate your G-spot, she says. Alternatively, you can experiment with activating your pelvic floor muscles while your partner is inside you, which can increase blood flow and intensity arousal for you both.“

This position is excellent for slow, intimate lovemaking,” says Dr. Carolina Pataky. You are face-to-face, which allows you to look into one another’s eyes, synchronize your breathing, or add in loving face cupping, all of which can deepen the connection, she says.

Hot tip

Thrusting just isn’t the name of the game with the Lotus sex position, which can make the position feel a little lackluster for those who love friction. If that’s you, adding in a wearable vibrator can make this position a hell of a lot more, well, orgasmic.

You could also pop in a vibrating butt plug, which will intensify the moment by stimulating an often-overlooked erogenous zone. If a person with a vagina wears a vibrating plug during intercourse, their partner may be able to feel the vibrating along their penis through the thin wall that separates the vagina and anus.

From here, the top partner can stay seated, experimenting with where they put their hands for comfort and leverage. “Sometimes, the top partner will find that holding your ankles or chest provides an extra sense of stability,” she says. Or, they can recline so your genitals meet in the middle. (This variation is known as Scissoring).

Any gender and genital combo can enjoy The Starfish. Two vulva-owners or penis-owners might enjoy the slide-and-glide of genitals that this position encourages. (Especially when you use lube!).

But if a penis or strap-on is vaginally penetrating the bottom partner, “this position can provide an angle that targets the G-spot and can lead to squirting,” says Anna.

Hot tip

Level up the Starfish sex position with a massage wand vibrator. These external vibes usually have a long handle, so you’ll be able to reach your genitals even if you’re lying back. The bulbous head of the toy also gives you plenty of surface area to rub against.

Expert advice: Go for a cordless wand, like the We-Vibe Wand 2, to avoid catching the power cable with a limb and yanking it out of the wall!

Unlike other classic positions, like Missionary or Doggy Style, The Cowgirl leaves the rhythm, depth, and speed up to the person being penetrated.

Hot tip

Use a sex position enhancer chair for extra support. This aid can also alleviate pressure on the rider’s knees, allowing you to ride for longer, comfortably.

If the bottom partner has a smaller penis or strap and the receiver enjoys feeling full, the rider should experiment with spreading their knees. The wider your knees, the further your partner can sink inside. Placing a sex wedge under the bottom partner’s bum can also support deeper penetration.

If you’re the partner on top, keep your chest upright for deep penetration. You can tilt forward towards your partner’s toes to increase the pleasurable pressure against your G-spot or prostate. (It also brings you closer to their piggies, a plus for anyone who likes feet.)

Hot tip

There are many ways for the rider to add stimulation in additional erogenous zones to make this sexual position even more pleasurable. A finger vibrator will add a little something extra if you reach between your legs for penis or clitoral stimulation.

Meanwhile, if you’re giddying up for vaginal intercourse, you might invite the giving partner to tease your anal opening with a finger or insert a string of anal beads. You could also wear a butt plug with a jewel base, which will provide you a feeling of fullness (while looking super cute).

For vulva-owners, this means A-spot and even cervical bliss, while for those with prostates, it means lots of direct contact with that nerve-dense gland.

Hot tip

By design, this is one of the best positions for going long, deep, and fast—even if the partner in back has a smaller-than-average appendage. But using a penis sleeve or extender can lend some extra length or girth if desired.

There’s no face-to-face contact during Doggy Style, so if you want to see your partner as they snarl and growl with orgasmic bliss, try doing it in front of a mirror.

As the bottom partner, keeping your legs tight together will limit how deep inside your partner can go, which facilitates G-spot or P-spot targeting. This set-up also makes it easy for you to squeeze your thighs while your partner is inside, which provides extra tightness along their shaft that some penis-owners will enjoy.

Hot tip

Leveling up Hard Press is easy. Either partner can bop in a butt plug for anal stimulation (if the bottom partner wears a butt plug, opt for one with a slim base to keep the toy from interfering with the top’s movements or skin-to-skin. The receiving partner can also enhance sensation with a wearable vibrator.

It’s also a grade-A choice for those wanting morning sex, without the turn-off of morning breath.

Hot tip

As sweet as this intimate position is, it can also be enjoyed by those with a kinky side. A blindfold, a handful of hair, nipple clamps, or wrist restraints can all spice up this snuggly option. In fact, if you’re looking for a sex position with handcuffs, this is one of the best, as the front partner can have their hands cuffed in front, behind, or above their body.

This is often due to a height difference during other mutual oral sex positions.

Hot tip

If you struggle with dry mouth, add a dab of flavored lubricant to stimulate your taste buds and increase saliva production. This position is also ideal for sex toys that simulate oral, which can lend a hand (er, mouth) and provide the feel-good pleasures of oral if your jaw or tongue gets tired.

Expert Advice: Try a toy like the Womanizer Enhance, which combines suction and vibrations, or the Blowmotion Masturbator which uses heat and pulsations to quench your thirst.