13 Most Common Sex Positions & Sexy Ways to Spice Them Up to Expert Level

Common sex positions are common for a reason – they feel great! But if you don’t make an effort to keep them fun, your sex life runs the risk of feeling boring.

Nobody wants a boring sex life. Boredom takes away all the joy from sex and can also hurt your relationship. If you just can’t get away from using simple and common sex positions because you like them so much, you can run into issues.

Even though they definitely do feel great – and can always get you off – common sex positions can still feel unexciting after a while.

Eventually, you need new, fresh moves that’ll get you excited to have sex time and time again. Otherwise, you’ll just be bored with your partner, and might go off sex altogether. And nobody wants that!

Sex is linked to the quality of your relationship

If you have a crappy sex life, it’s going to come across in your relationship. You’ll be impatient, you’ll feel unfulfilled, and you’ll maybe even start to imagine life without that person.

Obviously, you don’t want that. Not if you really care about them.

Therefore, it’s crucial to keep your sex life in great shape. Although you might have some go-to common sex positions you love, those also still need to be kept fresh and exciting. [Read: How to improve your relationship and better your love life]

How to spice up common sex positions

There’s no need to completely give up those positions you love so much. You can still get frisky in them, but you’ll also want to try to spice them up while you’re doing it.

There are ways to make them new even though you’ve been doing them for a long time! Here’s how to take your common sex positions and make them sexy again:

1. Missionary

This is probably the most common sex position – because it’s liked by pretty much everyone! It feels great and hits the woman’s g-spot just right, while also giving the guy a solid view of his partner’s body. However, it can get a little boring if done over and over again.

Spice it up: In order to spice up this position, try having the woman close her legs and draw her knees to her chest.

It might block some of the guy’s amazing view, but it tilts her pelvis up, making her vagina feel tighter for the guy while also giving him an even better angle to hit that g-spot. [Read: Ways to make missionary sex magical]

2. Doggy style

Who doesn’t love doggy style? Many people out there even vote for this as their favorite position due to both how it feels, and how it looks.

Women love it for the g-spot action and men, particularly booty-loving men, love it for the views! But, again, it can get a little repetitive if you do it all the time.

Spice it up: Take this sex position up a notch by having the woman close her legs and put them between her man’s, so his legs are spread.

This is a variation of doggy style that’ll make it tighter for the guy while also making it feel just as good – if not better – for the girl!

You can take it a step further by having the woman lay mostly on her stomach while keeping her booty high in the air. Men, you’ll love this one. [Read: 16 mind-blowing ways to have really hot sex from behind]

3. Cowgirl

A girl riding the guy while he lays back and enjoys it is by far one of the most popular sex positions with men. For women, however, it can be a little boring and even tiresome doing all the work!

Spice it up: In order to spice this one up and make it way more exciting, the woman can just turn around! Reverse cowgirl but it’s a great way to mix things up if you’re both used to the regular type.

Another way to make it more fun is for the woman to move her legs to the same side, so she’s riding him with her lower half twisted, side-saddle-style. [Read: Must-know tips and tricks for mastering reverse cowgirl]

4. Standing up

Sex standing up is amazing if you’re in a rush, or having shower sex. It’s also a great go-to if you’re mostly dressed, but still want to go for a quickie.

The unfortunate thing is that this common position, however spontaneous, can still get pretty boring.

Spice it up: Make it a lot more fun by turning the woman around and having her from the front. Ladies, hike up a leg and wrap it around him! Or bend over a little further if you can, and make it like a standing doggy-style.

Men, grab her hair and tilt her head back. Or even take a vibrator and give her some pleasure from the front – especially if you’re going for a quickie.

5. 69

Who doesn’t love some great 69-ing? It feels amazing, it’s a great form of foreplay, and it’s just fun to pleasure your partner while they’re pleasuring you.

But doing this common sex position for a decent length of time can get super boring, super fast. So you may want to try some alternatives if this is your usual go-to move.

Spice it up: Instead of having the girl on top, roll onto your sides. Not only is this more relaxing, but it’ll also offer more pleasure when you’re both rested.

If you really want to get a little crazy, have the man pick the woman up so she’s upside down. Obviously, this will only last for a short time – unless you’re a gymnast dating a bodybuilder – but it’ll surely make things more fun! [Read: Spicy sex positions to heat up your bedroom romps]

6. Legs-over-shoulders

This position, in case you’re not already sure what it is from the name, is basically missionary with the woman’s legs up over the guy’s shoulders.

It’s a fantastic way to get the g-spot stimulated and is widely popular, like all these common sex positions. But again, too much of anything can get boring.

Spice it up: Have the woman put both legs over a single shoulder. This tightens her up and gives it a little variation. You can also use a vibrator on her clit at the same time.

7. Spooning

This has got to be the most popular of the common sex positions for those a little on the lazier side. It’s relaxing, it hits that g-spot well, and it’s overall great. But, even for the lazy, this is also the easiest sex position to get sick of.

Spice it up: Thankfully, you can spice up spooning pretty easily. You can have the woman bend forward at her hips so it’s like a relaxed doggy style. This creates a much better angle for g-spot stimulation while also making spooning a bit more exciting at the same time.

[Read: Common couple sleeping positions and what they mean]

8. Reverse cowgirl

Again, a girl riding the guy while he lays back and enjoys it. Reverse cowgirl, as already mentioned, is a variation of the common cowgirl formula. Still, what if it’s already feeling stale?

Spice it up: If you’ve already graduated from regular cowgirl to reverse cowgirl, why not spice it up a bit by switching back to the regular type during sex?

There’s nothing wrong with changing things up mid-session to keep it interesting; even if your guy loves the booty!

9. Scissoring

Scissoring is by far the most common sex position that’s popular with lesbian couples. Also called tribbing, this is when two partners make an X with their legs and rub their vulvas together for some sexy action.

But straight couples can scissor too, even including some penetration. Although even that doesn’t guarantee things can’t get dull!

Spice it up: For girl-girl and guy-girl couples alike, take advantage of the fact your hands are free to spice up your sexy time together in this common position.

Make eye contact, and even instead of lying on her back, the girl can lie on her side with one leg in the air to get more control of things.

10. Prone-boning

With the girl laying flat on her belly (aka prone), this widely-liked common sex position is good for morning sex or when you’re both exhausted after a long day.

However, especially if you’re doing it half-asleep, the prone-bone isn’t immune to getting a little on the dull side.

Spice it up: A sexy way to spice up this position is to look back at your man and watch the expression on his face! It will be sexy for the girl to see her man enjoying himself.

Also, the girl can use a pillow or vibrator beneath her hips for extra pleasure from the front.

[Read: Different sex positions to spice it up and add a bang in bed]

11. Saddling

This is somewhat similar to the common cowgirl sex positions, hence the Wild-West-inspired name!

Sitting on the guy’s lap, the girl faces him and goes to town. Even though this position puts the girl in charge, it can still get boring.

Spice it up: You can sprinkle some spicy hot pepper on this common position by alternating shallow fast strokes with deep thrusts, and even corkscrew-type circular motions with your hips.

This is easy if you’re any good at dancing or hula-hooping!

12. The Magic Bullet

This position is just like the legs-over-shoulders position, but with less of the missionary. This common sex position is widely enjoyed by women because the kneeling man can get deep inside her, without the need to get her legs up so high. However, like the other position, boredom can set in.

Spice it up: The woman’s hands are free to explore her body or her partner’s, so don’t let him do all the work. Touching yourself also gives him something to look at!

[Read: Easy, sexy ways to keep a guy interested]

13. One-person-standing

This common sex position is another one popular with couples who like to go for a quickie, especially if you don’t have access to a bed!

The girl can lie on any flat surface, like a table, couch, counter, or just about anything at all. Although this position’s made for spontaneity, again, it has to be kept spicy if you’re using it regularly.

Spice it up: Don’t make it to the bed? Doesn’t matter! You can spice up this common sex position by getting into sexy times in unexpected places. Where can you think of that keeps it exciting? Don’t always stick to your comfort zone, but be respectful of other people’s space and property.

How many sex positions do most people use in one session?

What if you want to try more than one common sex position in one session? Couples often compare themselves to other couples. We all do it, and it’s difficult not to – especially when we’re talking about sex!

So you’ll be asking yourself whether it’s normal to be drawn towards more than one of these common sex positions for your next sexy adventure together.

Prominent sexperts suggest that most couples get up to 1-3 positions per session, so it’s normal to want to try more than one at a time! Moving positions a time or two each session can also help to stop your love of common sex positions making your sex life samey.

How often do couples try new sex positions?

You might think you’re the only couple who knows what they like and like what they know. But are you? How often do couples try something other than the common sex positions we’ve discussed here?

The truth is, surveys have said that most couples only have three or four (usually common) sex positions that they rotate in their repertoire: usually missionary, spooning, doggy style, and some form of cowgirl or girl-on-top position.

So you’re not that strange after all! Those super-adventurous couples out there who try every position in the Kama Sutra might be a myth.

But still, it wouldn’t hurt to try to become them, would it? If they’re stuck in a rut, some couples like to challenge themselves to a new position every day for a month… Or even avoid sex for a month altogether! What other types of intimacy can you find?

[Read: Types of romantic hugs that’ll bring you closer to each other]

It can be a little intimidating to expand your sexual horizons by spicing up the common sex positions you know and love. But if it makes your sex life and your relationship better, it’s worth it!