The Better Sex Workout

There are two secrets to great sex that nobody talks about: strength and flexibility. Sculpting and stretching key muscles can mean the difference between finishing strong and kinking up (or conking out!) mid-session.

Integrate these targeted exercises into your usual workout routine to feel much more pleasure tonight—and tone up while you’re at it.

Try:

Frog stretch

Whether you’re dying to test out a new move, or just want to be able to wrap your legs around him, this stretch from Leslie Howard, a yoga instructor in Oakland, California, will help. It opens up the inner thighs and pelvic floor, limbering you up for any position.

• Lie facedown on the floor with two rolled-up towels supporting your pelvis and thighs and your arms reaching out in front of you. Bend arms and legs at 90-degree angles, into a position that resembles a frog. Hold for 3 minutes, then release.

Try:

Ball-wall sits

Certain positions, like you straddling him, can exhaust your glutes, quads, and hamstrings. To go the distance, Los Angeles–based personal trainer Nancy Krank prescribes this "wall sit."

• Place a stability ball against a wall and lean back on it so the top of the ball hits the small of your back, but still touches your lower back and tailbone.

• Place hands on knees, shift weight onto heels, and, with back touching ball, begin to squat down until thighs are parallel to floor (keep knees behind toes). Hold for 15 seconds, stand back up, rest for 30 seconds; repeat 5 times.

Try:

Spider-man push-ups

"This move puts more force on your arms than a regular push-up," says Amanda Russell, fitness instructor at Equinox in New York City. "By doing it, you’ll be better able to hold yourself up in different positions."

• Assume a push-up position, with your arms straight (drop your knees if this is too challenging). As you bend your arms to lower your body, bend your left knee and bring it toward your left tricep.

• Bring the left leg back to starting position as you push up, then repeat on the right side. Do 2 sets of 10–15.

Try:

Airplane leg lifts

Do your hips and legs ache the morning after? Working your abductor muscles, located in your outer hips and upper glutes, will minimize soreness and reduce hip muscle strains, Russell explains. Here’s how:

• Begin on hands and knees, in tabletop position. Extend your left leg straight behind you, foot relaxed. Keeping the leg parallel to the ground, slowly swing it out to the left until it forms as close as possible to a 90-degree angle with your body; flex your foot.

• Hold for 10 seconds and release, bending knee and returning to tabletop; repeat on right side. Do twice on each side.