According to recent research published in Harvard Health, during sexual intercourse, men burn an average of five calories per minute – about the same as holding a plank for one minute. Not a huge amount, it must be said. As for a man’s heart rate, it rarely exceeds 130 beats per minute, and you’ll consume the same amount of oxygen as when playing ping pong. It really does seem that men perhaps spend more energy thinking about sex than actually having it.
However, there are certain sex positions that can increase the intensity of your session, helping boost stamina and even upper-body strength. One of these is the standing wheelbarrow.
An intermediate sex position that can be modified to be easier or more challenging, the standing wheelbarrow requires upper-body strength, grip strength, and endurance. Depending on your level of fitness, the receiver can either place their hands on the ground or prop themselves in a plank position. The giver can then grab the receiver’s legs or waist to pull them up.
The wheelbarrow may look like one of those made-up positions that no one is doing, but we assure you, it is real, and it’s not necessarily as complicated as it looks. We’ll also discuss a variation of the position, the Seated Wheelbarrow, in case the standing version doesn’t work for you.
How do you do the Standing Wheelbarrow position?
There are a few ways you can gracefully get into the Standing Wheelbarrow position. “One option is to have one partner start on all fours, and the other partner squat behind them, prepare for and engage in penetration, and then slowly stand up, holding the other partner’s legs around their waist,” says Kate Balestrieri, Psy.D., founder of Modern Intimacy. “Another way into this position could be for one partner to first get into a downward-facing dog pose, and as the other partner penetrates them, they lift both of their partner’s legs around their waist.”
The penetrating partner could also start from a standing position, while the partner in front leans down to balance on the floor, bed, or another ledge, and then brings theirs legs up.
The pros of the Standing Wheelbarrow position:
One big benefit of the Standing Wheelbarrow is the angle of penetration. “In this position, the penis can readily stimulate the A-spot and G-spot and increase the likelihood of internal orgasms for partners with a vagina,” Balestrieri says. “Additionally, for partners using the standing wheelbarrow position for anal penetration, this angle can offer the potential for intense prostate orgasms.”
The cons of the Standing Wheelbarrow:
“The standing wheelbarrow position can be tough to sustain for longer periods and requires a bit of physical agility and stamina, which may make it challenging for some,” Balestrieri says. Whoever is the bottom (i.e. the person being penetrated) needs to have strong shoulders and core strength to sustain the position. However, the top (i.e. the person doing the penetrating) can and should do their best to hold their partner up, so the bottom has to use the least amount of effort to hold themselves up by their arms.
Struggling with weak shoulders or a poorly conditioned core? These are the moves you need to know:
How do you get into the Seated Wheelbarrow position?
The seated wheelbarrow position is a little more physically accessible. “You can start on the bed or a chair, in reverse cowgirl, and together move toward the edge, so one partner is leaning over the edge,” Balestrieri says. “Another way into this position is to have one partner seated on the edge of the bed or furniture, while the other partner straddles them, facing forward, and gradually works their torso down, finding the floor with their arms for balance and support.”
You can also start from a Standing Wheelbarrow position, and the standing partner can move to a seated position on the edge of a bed, chair, or another piece of sturdy furniture.
The pros of the Seated Wheelbarrow:
In the seated wheelbarrow position, you get the benefit of deep penetration, and it is less strenuous physically than standing wheelbarrow, so partners can engage in the position more readily and for a longer duration of time, Balestrieri explains.
The cons of the Seated Wheelbarrow:
“The seated wheelbarrow may not offer as much mobility or thrusting power and may require the partner on top to do more of the work,” Balestrieri says. However, that’s not necessarily a con. “It really depends on each partner’s preferences.”
