Month: August 2025

In the pursuit of physical greatness, many of us push our bodies to the brink. We lift heavier than we should, run until our legs give out, and power through grueling HYROX workouts designed to test our limits. But building strength, speed, and endurance doesn’t always equate to being truly healthy. Sure, fitness can lower our risk of disease—but not every journey looks the same. That’s where pioneering yoga instructor and author of the upcoming book Mobility for Life, Jeff Bailey, says Avita Yoga offers something different.

“I often say, ‘less is more,’ and here’s why,” Bailey says. “There’s a difference between fitness and health, and in the pursuit of fitness, we tend to either overdo or avoid it altogether. Fitness usually implies muscular definition and the ability to perform particular activities, which excludes a lot of people. It can be short-sighted and even frantic.”

What’s Avita Yoga?

In Avita yoga, you won’t find people doing scorpion handstands or headstands. Instead, it uses simple, long-held shapes in order to release tension around joints.  

“In Avita Yoga, we repurpose the muscles, not to make them bigger or more defined, but to condition the joints and bones,” Bailey adds. “To achieve healthy bones and joints, we must target them, a process that involves slowing down, doing less, and gaining much more. The depth of practice makes it enjoyable, peaceful, and sustainable regardless of age or ability.”

Related: This Unique Mobility Move Releases Tension in Your Back in Minutes

How Is It Different From Mainstream Yoga?

Bailey points out that most mainstream yoga classes focus on building strength and increasing flexibility. But for people who aren’t naturally flexible, especially men, that emphasis can be intimidating and even discouraging.

“In Avita Yoga, we don’t require flexibility, nor do we pursue it,” he adds. “We go for mobility, which is a very different approach. We target fascial restrictions around the joint, which is a pleasant experience that yields relatively quick and lasting results.”

Mobility Over Flexibility

When most people think about aging gracefully, they zero in on flexibility. They spend hours stretching, trying to touch their toes, thinking it’ll help them stay limber enough to tie their shoes or pick things up off the floor. And while that has its place, Bailey says there’s a bigger piece of the puzzle: mobility.

“Seeking flexibility for joint health completely misses the point,” he says. “There is no correlation between the flexibility of muscles and joint health. There are plenty of flexible people with joint issues. Mobility and joint health improve simultaneously with the proper mindset and approach. It’s a mistake to try to improve mobility without healing and remodeling the joint along the way.”

The athletes from the golden era of bodybuilding had a few key things in common. They all sported classic aesthetic proportions—defined V-tapers, symmetry over sheer mass, and a focus on flowing lines and muscle separation rather than bloated muscle bellies. They had incredible genetics and work ethics that were second to none. Their discipline was unmatched, and top names like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Frank Zane, and Steve Davis stopped at nothing to reach their peaks.

While their training styles varied to some degree, one thing united them: At some point, they all dabbled in Gironda-style hypertrophy training. This method, still used to some extent today, was known for its high volume, short rest periods, and unorthodox exercise variations.

Vince Gironda’s Legendary Training Method

Known as the Iron Guru, Vince Gironda is one of the most well-known figures in fitness history. Until his death in 1997, he trained some of the top bodybuilders of all time, including Larry Scott, Don Howorth, and Mohammed Makkawy. Today, his unconventional approach to hypertrophy is still used to build muscle through laser-focused efficiency and aesthetic precision.

“The philosophy behind this method was to accumulate fatigue through high training density, which essentially means getting in a large volume of exercise in a set time frame,” says Antony Brown, the personal training leader at Life Time Lake Zurich. “With the variety of reps within the rep scheme, classic bodybuilders would stimulate different types of muscle fiber, leading to enhanced muscle growth.”

Related: 6x Mr. Olympia Chris Bumstead Built a Championship Physique. Now He’s Redefining What Strength Means

How It Works

Most modern lifting methods prioritize heavy weights and low reps, especially on compound movements like the squat and bench press. But Vince Gironda had a different philosophy, and it ruffled a lot of feathers. He believed that going heavy on these big lifts didn’t create the classic, aesthetic physique that bodybuilders of the Golden Era were after. Instead, he argued it led to a thick, blocky look that ruined symmetry and made the waist appear wider. 

His approach used high volume with shorter rest periods, strict form, with an emphasis on mind-muscle connection. One of the methods he’s known for utilized eight sets of eight reps with minimal rest (5 to 30 seconds). 

“The short rest periods lead to driving more blood through into the muscles and a higher build-up of metabolic byproducts, aka a bigger pump,” Brown says. “When the body experiences this build-up of metabolic byproducts and fatigue in the muscles, it is forced to adapt.” 

This type of training recruits all muscle fibers of the muscles being worked. While your body starts by using your slow-twitch Type I fibers, it quickly moves on to the fast-twitch Type IIa and IIx fibers, which are more responsive to muscle growth.

Who Should Use Gironda-Style Training?

While Brown says anyone at any level can use this method, it may be a good place for beginners who can’t lift a ton to start. 

“Because beginners can’t lift the higher loads of advanced lifters, they can typically handle higher volumes,” he adds. “Also, recovery will be faster with less load, so less rest is required. Finally, the high number of sets and reps is a good opportunity to practice good form, so beginners may be better suited. As a lifter becomes more advanced, they may aim for more of a HIT approach as they have the skillset to achieve more intensity with less volume.” 

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Even at full price, convertible hiking pants are a good deal. They are, after all, hiking shorts and pants in one, as good in cool weather as they are in hot. Patagonia makes great convertible pants that, during the now-live Past Season Sale, are available with a $39 discount that makes them an even better deal.

Patagonia Quandary Convertible Pants are just $90 at Patagonia right now, a 31% discount from their normal $129 price tag. The sale technically applies to two different colorways, but only Black has more than one size remaining in stock. Customers say these hiking pants/shorts are “comfortable but sturdy,” are “great quality,” and “fast to dry.”

Patagonia Quandary Convertible Pants, $90 (was $129) at Patagonia

These pants aren’t fishnets, but they are 96% NetPlus postconsumer recycled nylon made from recycled fishing nets. The other 4% is spandex for a bit of stretch, and the whole of the fabric offers 40+ UPF sun protection and is coated in a durable water repellent finish. They have ample pockets (two back, two front, one right-thigh zippered for safekeeping), zip-off pant legs that turn these into nine-inch inseam shorts, and both zipper-fly and metal button closures along with a customizable drawcord and belt loops so you can wear them how you want to.

These “pants are a bit wider in the thighs than I expected,” one reviewer wrote, noting that means “there is good ventilation and nothing should rub even on a longer route.” They call the material itself “very pleasant to the touch and slightly stretchy” and note that “the ability to unzip the lower part or tie them up gives them a lot of versatility, which allows you to limit the amount of clothes you take,” an important consideration for a backpacker.

Related: This Versatile Osprey Backpack Is $40 Off at Cabela’s Right Now, and It’s Perfect for Long Day Hikes

“I didn’t like zip-off pants prior to getting these,” one customer wrote, “but they have become a standard part of my wardrobe for camping and for just being around town.” And even though the 32-inch inseam is a bit long for this reviewer, “this is my second pair” of these convertible pants—they’re just that good.

Patagonia Quandary Convertible Pants are a great pair of hiking shorts and a great pair of hiking pants in one. Whether you’re a serious trekker looking to pack light or a casual hiker looking for a good value, snagging a pair for $90 is an easy decision. But given that one of the sale colors is nearly sold out already, it’s a decision you should make sooner rather than later.

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British watchmaker Bremont just announced a return to its roots with a new, orange-barrelled version of their Altitude MB Meteor pilot watch. The brand, which was founded in 2002, burnished its reputation as maker of tough-as-nails pilot watches through a partnership with Martin-Baker (MB), the inventor of the ejection seat for fighter planes.

The original MBI watch, which debuted in 2009, featured a red barrel and was only available to pilots who had actually used a Martin-Baker ejection seat—not exactly a club anyone truly wants to join. But the company also released the MBII with an orange barrel for everyone else.

Last year, Bremont launched the Meteor as the latest piece in partnership with MB and it bore many of the design cues of the earlier pilot’s watches—like the internal rotating bezel, 100 meters of water resistance, and ejection seat pull-inspired flourish on the seconds hand.

But the case is now constructed in grade 2 titanium instead of stainless steel and clocks in at a slimmer 42mm, compared to the 43mm of the previous generation. On launch the Meteor was only available with a black DLC barrel, but the line has now been upgraded with an option for one coated with a ceramic finish developed by Cerakote and engineered for hardness, thermal stability, and exceptional adhesion.

The dial, which is available in either black or brushed silver, displays the time with applied Arabic numerals, gloss black hour and minute hands all filled with SuperLuminova and a black seconds hand with lollipop red-tip. There’s also a date window at 3 o’clock outlined in a black and white stripe, continuing the ejector seat pull motif. The dial is protected by an anti-reflective, scratch-resistant sapphire crystal.

Through an exhibition caseback, owners can view the BB14-AH automatic movement (based on the La Joux-Perret G100), which offers a 68-hour power reserve. The caliber is protected from magnetic fields by a soft iron inner anti-magnetic ring and attached to an anti-shock movement mount. Both dial choices are available on a titanium bracelet, black rubber and leather strap, or black and anthracite NATO band.

The watches are available at us.bremont.com and retails for $5,700 on the titanium bracelet and $5,300 on either the NATO strap or leather band.

Related: Best Dive Watches of 2025 That Can Go the Distance