If you want bodyweight mastery and real freedom of movement, you need to understand one key distinction that most people miss. 👉 Mobility and flexibility are connected 👉 But they are not the same thing After coaching hundreds of athletes in hybrid calisthenics, parkour, gymnastics, and Ninja Warrior, this misunderstanding is one of the biggest things holding people back. 🤸 What Is Flexibility? Flexibility is your passive range of motion. It answers the question: • How far can I get into a position with assistance? Examples: • Touching your toes • Holding a split while gravity pulls you down • Being pushed deeper into a stretch Flexibility is about range, not control. 🏃 What Is Mobility? Mobility is your active control inside that range of motion. It answers the question: • Can I move, stabilize, and create force there? Examples: • A high kick • Deep squats with control • Flowing through animal movements • Parkour landings • Gymnastics shapes Mobility is flexibility plus strength and control. 🚫 The Common Mistake Most people think: “I need to stretch more.” In reality: • Most adults already have enough flexibility for functional movement • What they lack is strength inside the range they already have That’s why endless stretching often doesn’t fix stiffness, pain, or movement limitations. 🧱 How Calisthenics Builds Flexibility Naturally When you train calisthenics through full ranges of motion, flexibility often improves automatically. Examples: • Deep squats instead of stopping at 90° • Push-ups and dips with extra depth • Shoulder movement through full ranges • Controlled leg raises You don’t need more stretching. You need better movement quality. 🔁 Why Movement Beats Stretching for Mobility Mobility improves fastest when you: • Move through ranges of motion • Load them lightly • Control them repeatedly That’s why I became most mobile training parkour, even without stretching. Movement itself created usable range. 🎯 When You SHOULD Train Flexibility

Hi there, I'm Shelly My current goal is to get stronger and build muscle that will keep me mobile and strong as I age. In the future I want to be able to master artistic handstands. IG: shellyscaruso GIF from my favorite movie

I'm new to all of this. Does anyone have any books or free resources they would recommend to someone just getting started? I'm especially interested in working up to L-sits and handstands.

Each Sunday, I post an update for records I’ve broken the previous week. This is for accountability and to track my progress :) Feel free to comment with any of your new records from the past week too so we can celebrate you 🥳

I’ve decided to narrow my focus to achieving 2 skills: 10 full pushups & pancake fold. This is because my first 4 weeks were spent building a consistent habit of training, figuring out how to write and execute my training plans, and just getting my head around so much new info about calisthenics. I thought I was happy with slowly developing mobility & strength to achieve a wider variety of skills over a longer period, but seeing some of you achieving new skills motivated me to make a plan to reach fewer skills faster. That’s why I love this community - cos we learn from and motivate each other! Currently, for pushups - I can do 3 x 10 wall pushups. Currently for the pancake fold, I can sit forward hinge with a flat back with hands on the floor. Looking forward to this new focused way of training :) Today though, I am resting and went for a beautiful 10 minute barefoot grounding walk in my sunny backyard :) and broke my planking record 🥳 What are you all working on at the moment?