If you’re looking for the kind of sex position that’ll lead to an intimate, passionate, relaxed experience for you and your partner, turn back now—the helicopter sex position is not that. But if you’re looking for an adventure that’ll bring you and your partner closer through a new challenge (or even if you’re into wild positions, period), this one’s for you. The helicopter is tough and athletic, but that’s where all the fun is. “We do these things not because they are easy, but because they are hard,” said John F. Kennedy, probably not in reference to the helicopter sex position.
“The helicopter sex position is for those who love a challenge,” says Charlotte Johnson, a sex and relationship expert at Mega Pleasure. “Although it’s dubbed one of the hardest, it can offer maximum pleasure.” Among its benefits are exciting new angles of stimulation and deep penetration.
To do it, the receiver gets on all fours, à la doggy style. “The other partner lies on top of them, balancing themselves on their arms, with their legs held in the air—working those abdominal muscles—in a plank-like position and supporting themselves with their elbows or hands,” says Johnson. “Arm strength is non-negotiable.”
If you’re up for the challenge, be extremely careful. “Go slowly and make sure you have a firm and stable stance before you attempt to thrust," says Tatyana Dyachenko, sex therapist at Peaches and Screams. If you’re going the strap-on route, use one that actually straps on instead of the wearable kind. “If the top is wearing a strapless strap-on, this position could be wildly uncomfortable because of the way the dildo fits inside the wearer,” says Goody Howard, resident sex educator for Royal.
Of course, you should feel free to tweak the position to make it work for you. "If you or your partner have larger bodies, don't be afraid to explore using position wedges, pillows or sturdy ottomans to support and balance with," says Howard. And if it’s not your thing, do something else! (We have, like, 87 billion, other sex positions for you to try.) “Don’t do anything that feels uncomfortable,” says ASTROGLIDE resident sexologist Jess O’Reilly. “Focus on pleasure rather than feeling pressure to check things off of a sex bucket list.” (Though if you’re looking for a sex bucket list…)
If you’re ready to take this one on, here’s how to do the helicopter sex position, as well as some easier (and some even harder) variations.
The Classic Helicopter
@LUCYMACARONI Make sure everyone's done their warm-up stretches and such, and get on in there. To do this, “one partner gets on their hands and knees. The other stands over them in a downward dog with their head at the opposite end from their partner’s. As they slide inside, they lift their legs into the air so that they're supported on their hands and their hips are against their partner’s butt,” says O'Reilly.
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The Seashell
LUCYMACARONI For a way more comfortable and doable version of the helicopter, flip it over. “The person being penetrated lies on their back, with their legs up in the air, at a wide angle, while the person penetrating enters like missionary,” says Johnson. “The person whose legs are in the air can move their legs further apart for a deeper stimulation.” Need even more going on? Throw a vibrating butt plug into the mix.
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The Core-masutra
LUCYMACARONI In this version, the penetrating partner lies on their back while the penetrator planks on top of them to thrust. Need a reward for your efforts?
@LUCYMACARONI The Wheelbarrow
Want an even tougher challenge? “This is harder position to get into, and requires a lot of core and arm strength,” says Johnson. The payoff = “This creates great deep penetration.” The penetrating partner stands upright and holds the receiving partner's legs in the air, while the receiver uses their arms to lift themselves up, facing the penetrating partner.
The Lift and Shift
@LUCYMACARONI Prop up the bottom's pelvis with a positioning wedge and then go slowly to take advantage of the unconventional angle. “The thruster will be angling their penis (or dildo) downward to stroke into their partner. Think of a lift and shift motion,” says Howard. “A slow, downward angled stroke can add sensitivity to the head of the penis because it changes the turgor of the blood flowing into the erection, but take your time and listen to your body.”
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The Grounded Helicopter
@LUCYMACARONI If it all seems too dangerous and possibly penis-breaking (a real thing), go ahead and adapt it however you want. “You can modify it so that you’re both lying on your stomachs with heads on opposite ends,” says O'Reilly. “You still have to insert from an awkward angle, but this can be more comfortable if you prop up the lower partner’s hips.” This works way better for anal sex or with a more forgiving dildo.