The 5 Best Standing Sex Positions

When most couples have sex, they typically do it horizontally on a bed. Hey, we've got no problem with that. It's hard to beat the comfort of a firm mattress and a couple of fluffy pillows. Plus, when the action is over, you can simply drift off to sleep.

Still, there's a strong case to be made for getting out of the sack—and getting up on your feet. Sex standing up may not always be physically easy. But doing the deed this way brings novelty to your sex life and that irresistible have-to-have-you-now spontaneity. And because your bodies are aligned differently, you can experience totally new sensations.

Ready to give standing-up sex a test-drive? Below are the 5 positions our sex experts recommend—each involves at least one, if not two, standing partners.

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The leg lift
Great for doorways and closets, this face-to-face position allows you to gaze into each other's eyes and make out while you do the deed. Here's how to do it: While standing and facing each other, lift your leg and have your partner hold it up, so it's either at his waist or, if you're super flexible, against his chest and shoulder, Sadie Allison, founder of sex toy boutique ticklekitty.com, tells Health.

If there’s a significant height distance between you, your partner may have to bend at the knees, or you may have to stand on tippy toes, she says, before your pelvises are aligned and you can start the action. You can also try leaning against the wall, if that helps the two of you stay balanced. Because you have to keep your leg up, it's probably not a position you can maintain for long. "But it’s fun for a quickie or for a few minutes before you switch it up,” says Allison.

Up and oral
This oral sex position gives you the reins: Have your partner kneel or crouch on the floor, then stand over them with your legs shoulder-width apart. Put your hands on their head for balance and also as a way to steer them where you want their mouth to go—so they kiss, lick, and touch your vulva, clitoris, and vagina exactly as you like.

Getting oral sex while standing up might make you involuntarily clench your legs and butt, making it harder to climax. So try to keep your lower body relaxed; encouraging your partner to grip you by the hips or butt can help steady you and set you up for a string of orgasms.

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Lift and press
While facing each other, have your partner stand firmly on the ground before hoisting you up, Mackenzie Riel, relationship and sex expert with sex toy online store TooTimid, tells Health. “Your pelvis should be directly in line with their penis or dildo,” she says. Wrap your arms and legs around your partner for balance, and narrow your thighs, which allows for deeper penetration and G-spot stimulation.

This position requires core, leg, and upper-body strength, but it’s worth it for the sensations you'll both feel with each bump and grind. For added stability, do this close to a wall, so your partner can lean your back against the wall and thrust even harder or faster, suggests Riel.

Against the bathroom sink
If you like visual stimulation, standing-up doggy-style sex in front of the bathroom sink will make your day; it allows for sneak peaks at the action as well as deep thrusting. Have your partner stand behind you so you’re both facing the mirror above the sink, and encourage him to place his hands on your hips or on your breasts. Lean forward very slightly (but not so much that you're no longer standing) so he can penetrate you. As you experience each thrust and stroke, look into the mirror.

“Watch his every facial expression as he makes love to you in this from-behind position,” says Allison. “Bask in how sexy you look too, with him behind you, holding you tight, catching your eye.”

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Shower power
Heat helps your muscles relax, so shower sex is great for getting it on—especially from behind, either vaginal or anal. Start by running the water until you've reached the perfect temperature. Then have your partner lube up with a water-based lubricant; sex in water can wash away your own natural lubrication, so the artificial kind of crucial.

Once you're standing in the shower, press your hands against the walls for balance, or even hold onto the towel bar if there is one. Have your partner stay still and clutch your hips as you lean forward and work him into your body. You're in control here, moving back and forth on his penis while he uses his hand to stimulate your clitoris or anal area. “This will open you up for deeper penetration…Just be careful not to slip and fall,” Allison says.

Deep penetration isn't always the kind of sex you're in the mood for, especially if you're at a point in your cycle where your vagina and cervix feel sensitive. But sometimes, it really hits the spot.

Going deep makes penis-in-vagina sex feels snug and tight, and you'll experience lots of amazing G-spot stimulation, too. Plus, deep penetration puts your bodies close together—and that can make you feel more emotionally connected as well. Next time you're craving sex that literally fills you up, try these deeply pleasurable, expert-approved positions.

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Forward-facing cowgirl
This classic position has so many benefits, and deep penetration is chief among them. Have your partner lie back, then straddle him and ease his penis inside you as deep as you can. “For even deeper entry, you can open your legs wider, or gain leverage by pushing down on your partner’s chest with your hands,” Jennifer Gunsaullus, PhD, author of From Madness to Mindfulness: Reinventing Sex for Women, tells Health.

What's also great about cowgirl is that you control the speed and pacing—so if you want to take a break from deep thrusting to enjoy some clitoris stimulation, lean forward and have your partner play with your breasts. Or reach behind and caress his balls. You're in control here.

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Bendy missionary
For this face-to-face position, flexibility is a prerequisite. Start in the standard missionary position, then raise your legs above your head and hold them there, or free up your hands by resting your legs on your partner’s shoulders, Mackenzie Riel, sex expert with sex toy online store TooTimid, tells Health. “This angle can be used to help your partner to go deeper, she says, and reach your G-spot."

If you can’t comfortably position your legs overhead, try propping a pillow beneath your hips, Jess Melendez, a sex educator for O.school, tells Health. This elevates the vagina and offers a similar angle as raising your legs does. Meanwhile, your hands are free to press into your partner's butt and encourage him to go even deeper.

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Heeling dog
“Doggy style is a classic deep penetration position,” Zvi Zuckerman, MD, a certified sex therapist at online sex therapy clinic Between Us, tells Health. This variation has you on your hands and knees, with your partner kneeling (or standing) behind you.

If you want to take a more active role, you can jostle and jiggle your hips to encourage your partner to go all in. Spread out your knees, and you'll elongate your vagina so his penis can go even deeper. Because your hands and feet are supported by the bed or floor, you can be in this pose for a while without getting tired. Let your partner take charge, and simply enjoy every deep sensation.

Countertop me
You'll need to get into your kitchen for this position: Sit on either the kitchen island or a table with your legs dangling over the edge. Your partner should face you and stand between your legs, grabbing your hips and sliding inside of you. “You can lean back, but keep your legs wide open to give your partner deep access,” says Riel. Or lean so far back you can prop yourself up on your elbows and enjoy the view of your partner's penis disappearing inside you.

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Dirty dancer
This position requires some serious core and leg strength on your partner’s end, but the intimacy and depth of penetration are worth it. Stand and face each other, then have your partner lift you up by the butt (or lift one leg if that's easier) just enough so that your pelvises line up. Once you're ready, have him slide his penis inside you, suggests Dr. Zuckerman.

Press your pelvis flat against his for some seriously deep stimulation. Your range of motion is small, since you're almost locked into each other. But feeling so fulfilled will lead to some seriously intense pleasure.

In movie and TV sex, women are always getting it on while doing a deep back bend, rotating their hips in 360 degree circles, or lifting their legs high overhead. “These sex scenes in the media create this idea that sex is a performance and that women have to have incredible mobility in order to have incredible sex,” clinical sexologist Patti Britton, PhD, co-founder of SexCoachU.com, tells Health.

But if you're not an acrobat or gymnast, there's no reason to try twisting yourself like a pretzel to experience intense pleasure. These 6 creative sex positions don’t require a lot of flexibility and are super comfortable, so you'll feel intimately connected to your partner while enjoying insane orgasms.

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Lifted missionary
Missionary-style sex is often dissed for being boring. But think about the upsides: This position increases intimacy because it allows for eye contact and kissing. Missionary also leaves your hands free for touching, stroking, and holding a vibrator, and best of all, it doesn’t require a ton of hip flexibility.

To make an orgasm more likely, prop up your pelvis by putting a comfy pillow under your butt. Elevating your butt changes the angle of penetration, allowing your partner to go deeper. (Hello, G-spot orgasms.) It also gives your partner better access to your clitoris, which he can stimulate with the base of his penis or hand, says Britton.

Big spoon, little spoon
Spoon-style sex is another easy-on-the-joints position. With your partner pressed against your back and butt while you’re on your side, you don’t have to worry about spreading your thighs or opening your hips, Stella Harris, relationship coach and sex expert at the sex and relationship site Juicebox, tells Health. And since your legs are closed, it provides a snug fit and tighter grip on his penis.

Make spooning even hotter