Clarence Bass
Born: 1937 Albuquerque, New Mexico
High School: Albuquerque High School
College: University of New Mexico Bachelor’s degree in psychology
University of New Mexico School of Law. Obtaining his law degree
High School:
• As a junior won the State High School Pentathlon Championship
• As a senior. Placed second in the State High School Wrestling Championship Meet.
Professional: Clarence is a former Olympic style weightlifter, an attorney and fitness writer. He is considered the most articulate, well-read spokesman in America for all-around fitness lifestyle. Kept detailed journals and photos documenting his fitness spanning almost 60 years.
• Attorney Retired from the legal field in 1994
• Bodybuilding and Weightlifter
o Started training with weights at the age of 13
o Concentrated on Olympic weightlifting where he won many trophies over a 20- year period including city, state, regional and nation competition.
o 1976 Entered his first bodybuilding competition
o 1977 Measured a body fat percentageof 2.4%, measured using hydrostatic weighing at Lovelace Medical Center
o 1978 First success was winning the New Mexico Bodybuilding Championship in Best Legs and Most Muscular
o 1978 Won the AAU Past 40 Mr. America bodybuilding short class championship
o 1980 Placed second in the middleweight class of Past 40 Mr. America. This was the final year of bodybuilding competition
o Won numerous awards in Best Legs, Best Abdominals and Most Muscular Man.
• Fitness Writer
o Best known for his book and DVD series Ripped, which chronicle his fitness
o 1980 Wrote his first book, the same year he retired from competition. Titled Ripped: The Sensible Way to Achieve Ultimate Muscularity, the book detailed his fitness routine and how he reduced his body fat to 2.4%.[10]It also documented his experience during his bodybuilding competitions, including the Past-40 Mr. America and Mr. USA contests.
o 1980 Bass and his wife Carol formed Ripped Enterprises the same year, a company he uses to sell his books and related items
o The book was originally sent to Bill Reynolds, then editor in chief of Muscle & Fitness, who shared it with Joe Weider. The book led to Bass being invited to write a column in the magazine, which ran over the course of sixteen years
o Continues to train and publish monthly article on his website
o Bibliography
Ripped: The Sensible Way to Achieve Ultimate Muscularity. Clarence Bass’ Ripped Enterprises.
1982 Ripped 2. Clarence Bass’ Ripped Enterprises
1984 The Lean Advantage. Clarence Bass’ Ripped Enterprises
1986 Ripped 3: The Recipes, The Routines and The Reasons. Clarence Bass’ Ripped Enterprises
1989The Lean Advantage 2: The Second Four Years. Clarence Bass’ Ripped Enterprises .
1992 Lean For Life: Stay Motivated and Lean Forever. Clarence Bass’ Ripped Enterprises.
1994 The Lean Advantage 3: Four More Years. Clarence Bass’ Ripped Enterprises
1999 Challenge Yourself: Leanness, Fitness & Health At Any Age. Clarence Bass’ Ripped Enterprises
2007 Great Expectations: Health, Fitness, Leanness Without Suffering. Clarence Bass’ Ripped Enterprises
2013 Take Charge: Fitness at the Edge of Science. Clarence Bass’ Ripped Enterprises
o Filmography
o 2002 Clarence Bass – Ripped, The DVD (DVD). GMV Productions and Clarence Bass Ripped Enterprises.
o 2003 Clarence Bass – The Second Ripped DVD (DVD). GMV Productions and Clarence Bass Ripped Enterprises.
o 2003 Clarence Bass – The Third Ripped DVD (DVD). GMV Productions and Clarence Bass Ripped Enterprises.
• Featured in the book Second Wind: The Rise of the Ageless Athlete. In the book, he addressed his reasons for retiring from competition, stating, “I had nothing to gain and everything to lose.” He added, “I developed my reputation with new photos [every few years] and these contests aren’t a lot of fun.
• 1992 Competed in indoor rowing and was ranked 21st in the world for light-heavyweight men ages 50 to 59.
• 2003 Highest ranking came in he was 4th in the 500-meter row for light-weight men ages 60 to 69.
• 2017 June issue of Men’s Health, Bass was named “one of America’s greatest fitness visionaries.
Honors:
• Among 100 UNM graduates chosen by the Alumni Association to represent the “Best Efforts” of the university on the occasion of its 100th anniversary
• 2003, The Association of Oldetime Barbell & Strongmen honored him with its highest award, the Vic Boff Award for lifetime achievement.
• Photos of Bass from ages 15 to 70 are on display in the Lutcher Stark Center for Physical Culture and Sportsat the University of Texas at Austin.
• 2013, experts in exercise physiology gathered at the Stark Center to celebrate Bass’ lifetime achievements and discuss his book Take Charge.
Family:
• His parents were both in the health field, one a doctor and the other a nurse.
• Wife, Carol