Well, if the stems have gotten too rigid, you waited too long. Do the training earlier next time. Not much you can do about that without a time machine.
You can still shape them as they grow vertically. Get some garden wire and start bending and tying down to the scrog... that can help keep it spreading out as it goes.
No, do not remove leaves for whimsical reasoning. "Defofliation," or mass removal of leaves, is bro science nonsense. Removing "a" leaf in a selective way can be fine. This should be minimal. If you find a need to do it often, try changing methods to avoid it -- this is mostly self-inflicted stuff. If you don't overcrowd a canopy and have a basic plan for canopy management, you should have little to no need to remove leaves.
If condensation is regularly forming and you cannot otherwise avoid it by other means, removing a leaf is fine. If an area is so congested, leaves are contorting and mottling, that's another reason to remove a leaf or two.
Do not create empty gaps in canopy where light completely misses the plant. that's gauranteed to be a net-negative effect. Light does not have to directly hit bud sites. That's another completely bro-science thing of no relevance. Products of photosynthesis are highly mobile and they get to where they are used most regardless. If the canopy is not overcrowded, you don't need to do anything extra to ensure good airflow and decent light penetration.
Light spreads out fast.. therefore, lower leaves get less light, all other factors reamining the same. Why maximize light absorption where it is less intense? Capturing the most light is the goal and not where it hits the plant, necessarily.