Deep / Position Guide
AnvilSex Position
Legs up on the shoulders. The lean does everything else.
In the anvil sex position, the receiving partner lies flat, hips raised on a pillow, and points both legs at the ceiling so that the calves or ankles settle against the shoulders of a kneeling giving partner. That partner then tips forward onto planted hands. As they do, the legs travel back toward the chest beneath them.
Everything else follows the lean. Kneeling tall, the anvil is moderate and easy to hold. Tip forward and the pelvis rolls up. Very deep, very fast. Hamstrings set the ceiling here, and the person who gets to name that ceiling is the one lying underneath (not the one doing the leaning).
What The AnvilSex Position Is
Start flat, a firm pillow lifting the hips. Both legs rise with the knees straight until the ankles or calves find the shoulders of the giving partner, who is kneeling close in. Then comes the defining move. Hands planted on the mattress, the giving partner tips forward, and the legs swing back with that motion toward the receiving partner's ribs.
Some guides call this the shoulder holder position. Fine name for the legs. It says nothing about the lean, though, and the lean is the whole point. Skip it and you have a moderate, fairly comfortable shape. Add it and you have one of the deepest positions anywhere on LoveQuarters.
Two close cousins get mixed up with it. The mating press bends the knees and tucks them inward, and the giving partner comes down chest to chest instead of staying propped on straight arms. The piledriver goes a step further, rolling the receiving partner up onto the shoulders and upside down. Here, the back stays flat. The legs stay straight.
Why The LeanSets The Depth
Hamstrings are the link. They tie straight legs to the pelvis, so when the giving partner tips forward and the legs swing back, those muscles tighten and curl the pelvis up off its pillow. Angle and depth rise together. A lean that feels minor from above lands as a big change below.
So the anvil comes with a ceiling already installed. How long someone's hamstrings are decides how far the legs can go before the stretch turns from pleasant to unpleasant, and that distance differs enormously from one body to the next. Ideally the receiving partner says where the line sits before getting there. Finding it mid lean is the worse way.
Depth brings a second limit, too. Very deep contact can reach the cervix, which some people find uncomfortable or plainly painful. So begin upright, let the receiving partner call every change in lean, and read sharp or crampy pain as the cue to ease off rather than grit your teeth. Few deep penetration positions are this quick to turn down. Sit up. Depth falls instantly.
How far forward should you lean?
Drag the slider forward. Each notch rolls the pelvis a little more and adds depth faster than you would guess.
How To ActuallyDo It
- 1
Pillow first, legs second
Before anything else, wedge a firm pillow beneath the receiving partner's hips. It starts the pelvic tilt early, which leaves the lean less to do.
- 2
Let both legs settle on the shoulders
With the knees straight, the receiving partner brings the calves or ankles to rest against the giving partner's shoulders. Resting there. Not hooked, and never crossed behind anyone's neck.
- 3
Begin with a tall, vertical torso
The giving partner kneels upright, hips close and spine vertical. That is the shallow end. Nothing starts anywhere else.
- 4
Lean in by a hand's width
Palms down on either side of the receiving partner's ribs, tip forward a little at a time and pause after every shift. The reply is more, stay or back.
- 5
Straighten up the instant you hear it
Settle on a signal ahead of time, a word or a tap on the forearm, meaning come upright. When it arrives, sit back at once rather than completing the motion.
Hamstrings, HipsAnd Wrists
Three body parts carry the strain. Underneath, it is the hamstrings and the hips, because straight legs drawn backward lengthen the rear of the thigh while also closing the hip joint. Treat the first genuine tug as the end point for that session. Unlocking the knees a few degrees releases a lot of tension and costs very little angle.
On top, it is the wrists. Leaning forward on flat palms bends them back under body weight for however long the lean lasts. Knuckles keep the wrist straight. So does sitting up for a few strokes, which also lets the hands recover. (Nobody is being graded on their plank.)
Do not underrate that pillow. It provides some of the tilt before any leaning starts, so the legs fold less for the same angle. Deep positions also forgive friction less than shallow ones, which is a good argument for unhurried opening minutes and lube within arm's reach.
VersionsWorth Trying
Lowering one leg flat to the mattress is the gentlest step down. Just one hamstring stretches, the angle goes a little diagonal, and depth lands somewhere between the full anvil and missionary.
Bending the knees and draping them over the shoulders, instead of keeping the legs straight, spares the hamstrings most of their work. Lean still controls depth. Its ceiling is simply softer.
Moving to the side of the mattress changes the giving partner's job. With the receiving partner's hips near that border and the giving partner up on their feet, the bend comes from the waist rather than from weight on the hands, which is far easier on the wrists. Think of it as a near cousin of the butterfly.
Skip one version entirely. Locking the ankles together around the back of the giving partner's neck turns resting legs into a clamp, takes away the fast exit, and loads a neck that was never designed for it. Legs that merely rest on the shoulders let either of you stop within a second.
The versions, drawn
One leg up, one leg down
Only one hamstring is stretched and the angle turns diagonal. The easiest step down from the full version.
Knees bent over the shoulders
Bent knees instead of straight legs take most of the strain off the hamstrings. The lean still sets the depth.
Standing at the bedside
The giving partner stands and bends at the waist, so nobody has to brace on planted palms and the wrists get a break.
What is your anvil tonight?
Tap the mood.
WhoIt Is Best For
Good match: receiving partners with loose hamstrings who like depth and want to be the one who sets its limit. It also rewards couples who chat comfortably mid session, because the lean behaves best when it moves only on request. A few plain, specific words during sex (more, stay, back) cover it.
Tight hamstrings? Sore hips? Deep contact that tends to hurt? Then look elsewhere. The anvil also asks a lot of the giving partner's wrists and arms as the minutes pass, which partly explains why sessions in it run short. When depth is not on tonight's agenda, the spread eagle keeps the openness with a fraction of the stretch.
What GoesWrong
Leaning before anyone asked
Up top, a lean feels like a minor weight shift. Down below it arrives as a big jump in depth and in stretch. Every lean should answer a request. Momentum does not count as one.
Toughing out a sharp or crampy ache
Contact that deep can reach the cervix, and for some people it hurts. That kind of pain means sit up now. It is never something to wait out.
Flat palms for the entire lean
Minutes of leaning on open hands keep the wrists bent under load. Switch to knuckles, or return upright now and then, and the hands get their breather.
Questions PeopleAsk
What is the anvil sex position?
It is a legs up position in which the receiving partner lies back and rests both straight legs against the shoulders of a kneeling partner. That partner leans forward on planted hands, and the amount of lean sets the depth.
Is the anvil the same as the shoulder holder position?
Essentially, yes. Both names describe legs raised and resting on the shoulders. Guides label it differently, though the mechanics and comfort rules do not change.
How does the anvil position differ from the mating press?
Leg shape and posture up top. Anvil legs stay straight and rest on the shoulders. Mating press knees bend and fold in against the torso, while the giving partner lowers down chest to chest instead of staying propped on straight arms.
Why does the anvil sometimes hurt?
Leaning in makes it very deep, and contact that deep can reach the cervix, which some people find uncomfortable or painful. Sitting upright cuts depth straight away. Sharp or crampy pain means stop. It is not a hurdle to clear.
Do you need flexible hamstrings for the anvil?
For the leaning version, yes. Kneeling upright with legs vertical works for a wide range of bodies. Folding further back depends on hamstring length, so if the stretch shows up early, soften the knees or bring one leg down.