Clarence Bass

Clarence Bass (born 1937 in New Mexico) is an American writer, fitness expert, and retired lawyer. He is best known for his book and DVD series Ripped, which chronicle his fitness, including becoming a past-40 bodybuilding champion. Bass was a writer for Muscle & Fitness where he had a question and answer column. He has continued to write, documenting his fitness over a span of approximately 60 years in various books that he has released since 1980. He is featured in the books Second Wind and Legends of the Iron Game. In the June 2017 issue of Men's Health, Bass was named "one of America’s greatest fitness visionaries." He is an advocate of plant-based nutrition.

Early life and education

Bass was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1937. His parents were both in the health field, one a doctor and the other a nurse.

He attended Albuquerque High School, where as a junior, he won the New Mexico State Championship in the pentathlon. He excelled in wrestling, placing second in the New Mexico State Championships his senior year. Although he began lifting weights at the age of 13, it was during high school that he began to get into Olympic lifting, which helped lead him into a career in health and fitness.

Bass described his own diet as lacto-ovo-pescetarian. It also documented his experience during his bodybuilding competitions, including the Past-40 Mr. America and Mr. USA contests.

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.

Bass and his wife Carol formed Ripped Enterprises the same year, a company he uses to sell his books and related items. He also published the book Lean for Life which was released in 1989. Bass has released additional books since the 1996 release of Challenge Yourself, a summary of his diet and training.

His books led to a series of DVDs, which he first released in 2002 in collaboration with Wayne and Tina Gallasch of GMV Productions. The first was based on his book Ripped, with additional DVDs following in 2003 and 2004.

Bass' fitness training has also extended past bodybuilding, also concentrating on indoor rowing. By 1992, he was ranked 21st in the world for light-heavyweight men ages 50 to 59. His highest ranking came in 2003 when he was 4th in the 500-meter row for light-weight men ages 60 to 69. Photos of Bass from ages 15 to 70 are on display in the Lutcher Stark Center for Physical Culture and Sports at the University of Texas at Austin. In 2013, experts in exercise physiology gathered at the Stark Center to celebrate Bass' lifetime achievements and discuss his book Take Charge.