I also want to ask that, last year I wanted to learn something different so I gave swimming a try. I couldn’t learn how to float on the water while holding a bar at all.

The trainer said that it is because my body is too rigid/or because I train in the gym. Is it true?

How to make the body more agile/flexible then without losing muscle mass or undergoing muscle atrophy?

I should mention that I couldn’t go for many days in the 8 month learning phase because of various reasons.

If you’re reasonably healthy, you should be able to float almost right off the bat. Do you have issues with back pain or felt a tightness in the back as you tried to float?

It’s fairly simple (maybe not easy though) to get more flexible.

Read Flexibility & Mobility 101 first & check out the Daily Flexibility & Mobility Routine linked at the end of the post.

This is designed to be done simultaneously with your current workout, so you won’t lose any muscle mass.

Yes, I did feel a considerable amount of stiffness/tightness in my lower back as I was trying to float, everytime.

Should the flexibility and mobility routine be done at mornings (if I work out in the evening) and vice – versa? Or, should they be done pre/post workout?

The joint rotations should be done on waking.

I personally don’t recommend *any* stretching or flexibility training right before your workout, only afterwards. It doesn’t matter though if there’s a few hours gap between the sessions.

Morning/evening doesn’t really matter to be honest. The main thing is to do these regularly. The biggest challenge will be finding the time.

You need incredible mobility in the spine, hips, scapula & thoracic cavity to be able to pull this off

When it comes to becoming more flexible, don’t try to micromanage everything. Follow these guides religiously, & you’ll easily be more flexible than 90% of people.

One of the most counter-intuitive aspects of the internet is the ease of accessing information. While information indeed wants to be free, there’s a new set of challenges that crop up: viz. sorting through the maze of information & trying to make sense of what’s accurate/helpful & what isn’t. These mobility & flexibility resources are among the best you’ll find on the internet.

Before starting any of these stretches & exercises, I *highly* recommend you go through the basic stretching theory & guidelines at Flexibility & Mobility 101.

Once you have a good base of general flexibility, you can start with more specific training for more ambitious goals such as achieving the front & side splits.

Daily Mobility Routine

Joint rotations not just articulate each of your joints through their entire range of motion (ROM), but are a great way to identify potential trouble spots before they get out of hand.

Do these two things EVERYDAY immediately on getting out of bed.

1. Joint Rotations

2. Foot massage with a Tennis Ball

Add these next three moves into your routine after a few days. The next 30 days you’ll do both the joint rotations & tennis ball massage on waking up & these over the course of the day.

1. The 30/30 Squat challenge

2. 7 Minutes of hanging everyday for one month

3. The Convict Conditioning 2 Trifecta Stretch

After a month of doing the above exercises, or once you feel you’re ready to move on to the next level, add in the next 4 exercises 2-3 times a week.

If doing the following exercises in a single session, I recommend doing the Squat Clinic first, then the Shoulder Stabilisation routine, Squat Clininc 2.0 & then the Scapula Mobilisation Routine