CircoplexFor calisthenics and street-workout athletes
It's a shoulder skill. Stop doing planks for your handstand.
Ben Lowrey's view: straight arms, shoulders to the ears, push the floor away. Then the press.
One short email a day for a week: a short film, a drill demo and one small thing to try, from Ben Lowrey. Free, for ages 18 and over.
Founding price £47 until 30 November 2026, then £67
Ben's fix: it's a shoulder skill
Shoulders to the ears
Push the floor away until the shoulders open in line with the spine.
Line before load
Ben's view: the angle at the shoulder decides the line, never the spine.
The press, honestly
A flexibility move as much as strength. The tutorial says who will find it tough.
Memories
What learning with Ben feels like
Memories from our workshops, retreats and Circoplex Sundays, 2016–2019.
Handstands at Chew Valley Lake, October 2018 
Countryside workshop day, April 2018 
Studio session, April 2017 
Studio shoot, January 2016 
Studio shoot, January 2016 
Studio shoot, January 2016
Watch free previews
Strong, but…
- Your handstand arches like a banana
- You can hold a plank for minutes and still tip over
- Wall holds feel fine; freestanding doesn't
- The press feels a long way off
In Ben’s words
Ben Lowrey started learning handstands in 2013, came to hand balancing through yoga and began teaching at the end of 2015.
“A straight handstand is always limited by this angle. It's never the spine.”
“The shoulders are going right up to the ears. You're pushing as hard as you possibly can.”
“Press-ups and chaturanga alone are not going to be enough because your arms are only learning to press half your body weight”
Strength drills from Ben's workshops
Short clips, as filmed.
Straddle tilts
Straddle tilts with the group at a workshop.
Negatives
Lowering slowly out of a handstand, shown by Ben.
Handstand chaturanga
Ben coaches the handstand chaturanga.
What you get
- Free 7-Day Starter firstOne short email a day, before you decide anything.
- 4 full coursesAbout an hour each, including two on flexibility.
- 10 tutorialsStep by step, each with a written article.
- 43 daily drillsShort demos to follow at home.
- A 12-week programmeThe order to do it all in.
What calisthenics athletes get in the library
- Shoulder angle: the fix for a banana back
- Straight-arm strength at the wall
- Shapes: tuck, straddle, diamond
- The press, with honest prerequisites
- A 12-week order from wall to freestanding
Before you sign up
- “I already have the strength.”
- Good. Ben's view is that alignment, not more strength, is what straightens the line.
- “I follow a programme already.”
- Use the drills alongside it. The library is a technique sequence, not a gym programme.
- “Free videos cover this.”
- They do, in pieces. The library adds the full courses and the order.
Calisthenics handstand questions
What happens after 30 November?
The founding price of £47 is for purchases made by the end of 30 November 2026, UK time. From 1 December 2026 the library costs £67. Buying at £47 gets you exactly the same access, and the same 14-day refund, as buying at £67.
How do I stop arching into a banana handstand?
In Ben's view a straight handstand is limited by the shoulder angle, never the spine. The shoulder-angles and straight-handstand tutorials show the drills: shoulders to the ears, ribs in, push the floor away.
Should I learn a banana or a straight handstand?
Both have uses. A curve lets tight shoulders balance sooner; a straight line puts the load through the skeleton. The library teaches the straight line and shows the leg-over shapes for tight shoulders.
How long does a press to handstand take?
Nobody can give you a timeline. Ben calls the press a flexibility move: tight hamstrings make it tough, and the mechanics differ for every body.
Do I need a freestanding handstand before handstand push-ups?
The library has no handstand push-up programme. It teaches the balance and the stacked shoulders that freestanding work sits on.
Why pay £47 when I can find drills online?
The tutorials and drills are free. The library adds four full courses and a 12-week order, so you stop collecting drills and follow one sequence.
Free tutorials to start with
The Ultimate Handstand Library
Over 5 hours of teaching across 4 courses, 10 tutorials and 43 drills, sequenced into a 12-week programme.
The tutorials and drills are free; the library adds the full courses and the programme that sequences them.
£47 including VAT, paid once.
Founding price until 30 November 2026, then £67.
Pay once — lifetime access*
*for as long as Circoplex runs, and at least 10 years from your purchase; if it ever closes, 90 days' notice and a download.
14-day refund, no questions asked: ask within 14 days of buying and get all your money back.
Payments are processed by Stripe/Link (Onelink, LLC) as merchant of record. Onelink, LLC sends your payment receipt, and the charge appears on your statement as LINK.COM* CIRCOPLEX. Circoplex sends a separate access confirmation.
The library is open now.
Who it isn’t for
- It is not a quick fix. There are no promised timelines: a handstand takes regular practice over time.
- It is not live coaching. The library is recorded teaching, so nobody watches or corrects your form.
- It is not for anyone a doctor or physiotherapist has told to avoid being upside down.
- Ben says himself that the press to handstand is not right for every body.
The free 7-Day Handstand Starter
One short email a day for a week: a short film, a drill demo and one small thing to try, from Ben Lowrey.