Rear Entry / Position Guide
TriceratopsSex Position
Kneeling tall, arms held behind, every term settled beforehand.
The triceratops sex position is kneeling rear entry done upright. The receiving partner kneels in front and reaches both arms back, while the giving partner, kneeling close behind, holds them by the forearms. That grip, not a hold on the hips, is what links the two of you, and the name comes from the shapes arms and legs make when you look from the side.
Let us be plain: it is also a light restraint position. Plenty of people love it precisely because they lose the use of their arms. Good reason to try it. Just agree the terms before anybody kneels.
What TheTriceratops Is
Both of you kneel on the bed facing the same direction. The receiving partner is in front, knees slightly apart, torso almost vertical and lower back gently arched, and they reach both arms behind them. The giving partner kneels close behind and takes the forearms. That hold turns into the main point of contact.
So what is the triceratops position, in a sentence? Upright kneeling rear entry, using the arms as the handle rather than the hips. A standing triceratops exists too. It comes up later.
People mix it up with the bull driver, which also grips the forearms from behind. Shape is what separates them. A bull driver begins on all fours, and the partner at the back leans away, lifting the chest at an angle. The triceratops keeps you both upright, with the receiving partner's torso vertical and your bodies much closer.
Why The GripMoves The Balance
Kneeling upright with nothing to hold is already slightly wobbly. Now take the arms away. The receiving partner has lost the usual ways of catching a fall, so their balance point drifts backward and they lean a little into the grip, at which point the hold is no longer decoration. It is holding them up.
Which changes what the partner behind is doing. Not pulling. Counterbalancing, meeting the lean with steady resistance, like two people leaning apart while holding hands without either one toppling. A yank wrecks that balance in an instant, and the person in front has no free hand to save themselves.
The small arch matters too. It tilts the pelvis, improving the angle for kneeling rear entry, so the receiving partner never needs to fold forward. With both bodies upright and close, tiny movements from behind are plenty.
How much do you hand over?
Move from free hands to both arms held. Each notch hands over more, and asks for more agreement first.
How To ActuallyDo It
- 1
Pad the bed for four knees
Fold a duvet across the bed. You will both be kneeling from beginning to end, so this comes first.
- 2
Line up the heights early
The partner behind moves their knees wider or closer until the hips match. Do it while the person in front can still steady themselves.
- 3
One arm back, then the other
The receiving partner sends each arm behind them, elbows soft. Behind, a hand closes around each forearm, somewhere between wrist and elbow.
- 4
Lean in, hold still
The person in front lets their weight ease back until the grip takes part of it, and the partner behind stays still to meet it. No tugging.
- 5
Test the signal first
Try the agreed squeeze or tap once, and let go of the arms the moment it comes. Seeing it work turns a theory into something you both trust.
Agreed Before,Not During
Having your arms held is mild restraint, and for many people that is exactly the attraction. The partner in front gets to quit managing balance, quit deciding, and let somebody else hold them in place. Done with care, it feels good. Done carelessly, it can feel like something nobody signed up for.
So sort out the terms in advance, dressed, ideally away from the bed. Which grip? How firm? Does the partner behind talk or stay silent, and what happens the second the receiving partner wants their arms back? Negotiating any of that once the arms are held is backward, because the person with the least freedom to move is the one who would have to raise it.
Choose a release signal that needs no words, since words can fail when breath runs short or the moment gets loud. A firm squeeze of the partner's forearm works. So do two taps with a finger, or letting go of a small held object like a scarf. When the signal comes, the arms are freed immediately and any talking waits until afterward. New to this kind of conversation? The sexual communication guide is a sensible first stop.
Knees, WristsAnd Shoulders
Nobody gets off their knees for the whole position, so both pairs carry weight throughout. Padding under all four is the comfort fix that counts most.
The arms deserve more thought. Grip forearms, never wrists or hands. Wrists buckle under force, and holding the hands twists them. Elbows stay soft, with the arms angled down behind the body instead of raised.
Shoulders hate being levered backward. Never haul the arms up toward the ceiling, never twist them inward, and never use them as handles to drive movement. If the front of a shoulder pinches or the fingers start tingling, the arms come down and the grip moves to the hips. A little lube smooths the start, and a smoother start means less bracing all round.
VersionsWorth Trying
One arm held, the other free. With a hand left on the mattress or headboard, the receiving partner halves the shoulder load, regains a way to catch their balance, and gets a smarter first attempt.
Hands held against the chest. No reaching back. The receiving partner crosses their hands over the chest, and the partner behind wraps around to cover them, which is closer, kinder to the shoulders, and still carries that held feeling.
Standing triceratops. Here the receiving partner stands, knees softly bent, fronts of the thighs braced against a kitchen counter or bed edge while the arms are held. Bigger height gaps are easier this way, and the standing sex positions guide covers the height fixes.
Dropping forward. Once knees or shoulders have had enough, release the arms and let the receiving partner come down onto their hands. Now it is doggy style, and nobody had to separate.
The versions, drawn
One arm held, one free
The free hand braces on the headboard. Half the load on the shoulders, and a way to catch your balance.
Hands held against the chest
The partner behind wraps around and covers the crossed hands. Closer, gentler on the shoulders, and still held.
Standing at a counter
Knees slightly bent and the thighs braced against the edge. It handles a bigger height difference than kneeling.
What is your triceratops tonight?
Choose tonight's version.
Is The TriceratopsSex Position For You
The triceratops sex position suits couples who already know a little power exchange appeals to them, or who are curious and happy to discuss it first. The receiving partner should truly want their arms held, rather than just being willing to go along. And behind them? Someone with a steady core and the patience to stay put while being leaned on.
Shoulder, wrist or knee trouble rules it out. So does any night when the conversation has not happened yet. Want upright closeness without the hold? The kneeling sex position keeps both of you on your knees, face to face, all hands free.
What GoesWrong
Negotiating mid-hold
Whoever has no free hands is in the worst possible position to renegotiate. Decide grip, firmness and the release signal ahead of time, while you are both dressed and relaxed.
Grabbing the wrists
They look like the obvious handhold, yet they put force on a joint that folds easily. Move both hands up to the forearms, between wrist and elbow.
Steering with the arms
Arms used as handles lever the shoulders back and pull the person in front off balance. Behind, hold steady and move from the hips instead.
Questions PeopleAsk
What is the triceratops sex position?
The triceratops sex position is upright kneeling rear entry, with the receiving partner at the front and both arms drawn back. The partner behind holds those forearms, and that grip becomes the main connection between you.
Why is it called the triceratops position?
It is named for the shapes the arms and legs make when you see the position from the side. Think nickname, not technical term.
How is the triceratops different from the bull driver?
Both grip the forearms from behind. A bull driver starts on all fours, with the partner at the back leaning away. The triceratops keeps both people kneeling upright, torso vertical and bodies closer together.
Is kneeling rear entry hard on the knees?
It can be, since both partners kneel throughout. A folded duvet under all four knees helps enormously, and dropping forward onto the hands gives everyone's knees a rest.
How do you do the standing triceratops?
The receiving partner stands, knees slightly bent, thighs braced against a counter or bed edge, while the partner behind holds one or both forearms. Height differences are simpler to fix standing than kneeling.