Whether it is your 1st time pegging your partner or you have just started to explore, there’s so much to learn! From the compatibility between different lubes, dildo materials, and condoms (highly recommended for toy cleanliness), to making sure you’re safely graduating your partner’s anal experience, it’s a lot to take in.

One thing many people don’t expect their 1st time pegging, however, is just how much work it is. Sure, if you’re not accustomed to the thrusting motions most people use to peg, you might anticipate building up a sweat. Plenty of new peggers account for that.

What folks often miss is the fact that the act of pegging comes with some physical resistance from your partner’s body. And, even with plenty of lube and careful play, that resistance creates quite a workout. If you’ve experienced it, you may have learned firsthand just how quickly fatigue can end an otherwise lovely pegging session. But it need not be that way

What’s A Pegger to Do?

Fortunately, a little conditioning goes a long way in reducing fatigue during your pegging playtime, whether it is your 1st time pegging or not building strength will help you to build stamina for your pegging fun. In this post, I’ll cover exercises that are great for people thrusting into their partners in standing, squatting, or kneeling positions with a strap-on attached to the groin or thigh. They’re also great for 1st time pegging recipients who enjoy thrusting back in these positions or sitting and bouncing on their partner’s peg.

Peg your partner differently? That’s great! The exercises below are good for building strength and endurance in the legs and lower back, but you may find other exercises more helpful for your pegging style. Feel free to make requests or suggestions in the comments.

Ready for your new sexy workout routine? Let’s go! Remember: you’re doing this to have fun later, but it should also be fun now. Don’t overexert yourself, and if it doesn’t feel right, don’t do it. With these exercises, the slower you go, the more you’ll work the muscles—so take your time.

Squats

You knew squats would be on this list, right? Here’s how to do them:

1. Stand with feet about shoulder-width apart.
2. Let your toes point out at a comfortable angle; don’t force them straight forward or uncomfortably outward.
3. Pull your hips back and keep your chest vertical; focus on this during the next part.
4. Slowly bend your knees, lowering yourself down as far as you’re comfortable—keep those hips back and chest up!
5. Rise slowly back to standing, driving through your heels. Repeat until you feel “the burn” that tells you it’s working, then take a break to imagine the sexy squatting you’ll do later.

Squats work more than just your thighs and calves. They also hit your groin, hip flexors, and buttocks to ensure great pegging control when thrusting from the waist.

Lunges

The perfect complement to squats, lunges add more balance work to building muscles in your legs, hips, and core:

1. Stand with feet hip-width apart, toes pointed wherever is comfortable.
2. Take a big step straight out in front of you; your heel should land some distance directly in front of where your stepping foot started.
3. Keep your chest vertical while bending both knees, slowly lowering yourself towards the floor as far as you can (but don’t bang your lower knee on the floor).
4. Rise up, driving the heel of your stepping foot into the ground as you return to starting position.
5. Repeat on the other side, remembering to step straight forward and keep your chest vertical. Keep going until the burn signals it’s time to rest, and do a few gentle pelvic thrusts to cool down and practice for later.

You’ll feel lunges in your legs, but you’re also working your abdominals and back to stay balanced. This will increase your bodily control as you reposition and angle yourself during pegging playtime.

Superman

Squats and lunges can be hard on the knees, so let’s give them a break and work on the lower back. This one requires laying facedown on the floor, so you may want a clean yoga mat or rug to lie on.

1. Lie facedown, forehead on the mat or rug, and extend your arms forward.
2. Your legs should be extended straight behind you; you’ll be in Superman’s two-arm flying pose.
3. Slowly lift your arms, legs, head, and chest off the ground, keeping arms and legs extended. You’re making a shallow “U” shape with your body.
4. If you can, hold this position for a few seconds. (This is optional.)
5. Lower yourself back down. Rest if needed, and repeat while knowing your lower back is gonna be ready to deliver for sexytimes this weekend.

This lower and upper back exercise builds endurance for long sessions of back-and-forth, whole-body action with your pegging partner.

Quad Superman

Ready to bring your face up off the floor? Don’t go too far. This superman modification reintroduces a little leg conditioning that’s easier on the knees than squats and lunges. (If you need a little padding when you kneel, however, you’ll want to bring that out for this one.)

1. Start on your hands and knees (doggy style, anyone?). Your arms and thighs should be just about perpendicular to the floor, and your back straight.
2. Simultaneously (and slowly) lift your right arm out in front of you (Superman-style, one arm) while lifting and extending your left leg behind you.
3. Your arm and leg should rise until they’re parallel with the floor, or as close to that as you can get them. Don’t extend higher than parallel.
4. Hold them up for a few seconds if you can, but don’t overexert yourself.
5. Lower your arm and leg slowly, then repeat on the other side. Continue until you feel it’s time to rest, and look forward to when you’ll be on all fours with your lover.
7. Your buttocks, hamstrings, and back should definitely feel the burn by now! This multi-muscle-group exercise conditions your muscles to collaborate for ultimate pegging endurance.

Working Out So You Can Work It Out

Pegging is fun, and your workout should be, too! You don’t need to push through pain to build up the strength and endurance you need for a good night of thrusting. Take your time, build up your endurance slowly, and you’ll find your adventures lasting a little longer when you’re all strapped up.

Shannon Burton

Shannon (they/she) is a sex coach and content writer residing in New Orleans.