Low Effort / Position Guide
Flat IronSex Position
Closed legs are the entire mechanism, and shallow is the feature.
The flat iron has the receiving partner lying face down and completely flat, legs straight and pressed together, often with a pillow under the hips. The giving partner lies on top with their legs outside or on top of the closed ones. Nobody is holding anything and nothing is folded.
Almost every other page on this site is, in some form, about depth. How to get more of it, how to manage it, how to stop it being too much. This one is about the opposite, and it is the position to reach for when depth is the thing you do not want.
What TheFlat Iron Is
The receiving partner lies on their front with the legs straight and closed. A pillow under the hips raises them slightly and creates the angle, since without it the position is almost too flat to work. The giving partner lies along their back, taking their weight on their forearms.
Because the legs are closed, the reach is short and the fit is tight. That is the mechanism, and it is a completely different lever from the ones every other position pulls.
It gets grouped with rear entry positions on lists of position guides, which is technically right and misses the point. The angle is barely rear entry. The closed legs are the position.
Why ShallowIs The Feature
Depth is not universally wanted. Plenty of people find the deeper positions uncomfortable, or fine for a few minutes and then not, and the usual advice is to manage that with restraint from the other partner. That works, but it asks somebody to be constantly careful.
Closed legs solve it structurally instead. The reach is physically limited by the position, so nobody has to remember to hold back. That is a more reliable arrangement than good intentions, and it lets both people stop thinking about it.
What you get in exchange is tightness and full body contact along the whole length of both bodies. If prone bone is the flat rear entry position with the legs apart, this is the same shape with the legs shut, and the two feel very different.
How closed are the legs?
Slide it to see how leg position trades depth against tightness. Closed is the whole point here.
How To ActuallyDo It
- 1
Lie flat and close the legs
Face down, legs straight and pressed together. The closed legs are not a detail, they are the position.
- 2
Put a pillow under the hips
Without it this is too flat to work properly. A firm pillow raises the hips just enough to create a usable angle.
- 3
Giving partner takes their own weight
Forearms down on either side. Full contact along the back is the appeal, and full bodyweight is not.
- 4
Keep the movement small
The reach is short by design. Small movements work here and large ones simply run out of room.
- 5
Cross the ankles to lock it
The receiving partner crossing their ankles tightens everything and keeps the legs from drifting apart during.
ComfortAnd Weight
The main comfort question is the giving partner's weight. Lying along someone's whole back is the point of this position, but it should feel like contact rather than compression. Forearms down on either side sorts it, and one early check-in settles it for good.
Lying flat on a firm mattress puts pressure on the ribs and hips of whoever is underneath. The pillow under the hips helps, and turning the head to alternate sides prevents the same neck stiffness that face down positions always eventually produce.
Shallow and tight means friction rather than depth is what sets the limit, and this position runs long. Lube matters more here than the gentle description suggests, and reapplying partway through is normal in a session this length.
VersionsWorth Trying
Ankles crossed rather than simply together tightens the whole position and stops the legs drifting apart, which they otherwise do without anyone noticing.
The giving partner's legs outside the closed ones rather than on top changes the angle slightly and takes some weight off, which suits couples with a larger size difference.
A wedge rather than a pillow under the hips gives a firmer and more consistent angle, and the wedge guide covers where to put it. Opening the legs turns this into prone bone, which is the version to move to when depth is wanted after all.
What is your flat iron tonight?
Tap the mood.
WhoIt Is Best For
This suits couples where the deeper positions are uncomfortable rather than exciting, and anyone who would rather the limit be built into the position than maintained by someone paying attention. It is also good for long slow sessions, since nothing is strained.
It is a poor fit when depth is what you are after, obviously, and it offers very little room for pace. A large size difference can make the closed leg version awkward, and putting the giving partner's legs outside rather than on top usually fixes that.
What GoesWrong
Skipping the pillow under the hips
Without it this is too flat to work at all. A firm pillow raises the hips into the angle the position depends on, and it is the difference between the flat iron and lying down.
Resting full weight on the person underneath
Full length contact is the appeal, full bodyweight is not. Forearms down on either side keeps the contact and takes the load, and asking once early beats a long silent stretch of putting up with it.
Reaching for long strokes
The reach is short by design and the tightness is the point. Large movements fight the position, small ones are what it was built for.
Questions PeopleAsk
What is the flat iron sex position?
The receiving partner lies face down and flat with the legs straight and pressed together, usually with a pillow under the hips, while the giving partner lies along their back. The closed legs shorten the reach and tighten the fit.
What is the difference between the flat iron and prone bone?
The legs. Prone bone has them apart, which allows depth. The flat iron has them pressed together, which limits the reach on purpose and produces tightness instead. Same basic shape, very different sensation.
Why would you want a shallower position?
Because the deeper positions are uncomfortable for plenty of people, and managing that with restraint asks someone to be constantly careful. Closed legs make the limit structural, so neither person has to think about it.
Do you need a pillow for the flat iron position?
Effectively yes. Lying completely flat leaves almost no usable angle. A firm pillow or a wedge under the hips raises them just enough for the position to work while keeping the legs closed.
Is the flat iron position comfortable for long sessions?
Yes, since nothing is held or folded and no muscle group is under load. The limits are the giving partner's weight, which the forearms solve, and friction, which lube solves.