Clarence Joins Play-by-Play
Broadcast
Clarence was surprised and
delighted to be invited by Mike Capps to join him in the
play-by-place broadcast of a baseball game between the Albuquerque
Isotopes and the Round Rock Express. Capps has
been broadcasting Round Rock Express games since 2000. His team
is the Triple-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers based in Round
Rock, Texas, a suburb of Austin.
Capps has done it all in
broadcasting, working in both TV and radio. While at
CNN, he covered the Gulf War as well as the Waco Siege, which
garnered him an Emmy nomination and a CableAce Award. Also
a former college athlete, he has run 22 marathons and 3 fifty
milers, and is still sprinting and lifting. He's also a regular
visitor of our website. We've been exchanging emails since 2014,
but this was to be our first face-to-face meeting.
Scheduled to be in Albuquerque
with his team, he inquired whether Clarence would be interested
in joining him in the broadcast booth to talk about fitness
between pitches and inning. It would be a three hours
commitment. Clarence hesitated at
first, but gave in when Capps explained how it would work--and
offered to have Uber pick up him and Carol and then take
them home after the game. The Uber offer didn't work out but it
was the tipping point and Clarence committed to join in the
broadcast booth.
Capps had not heard that Terry
Todd had died and wanted to pass on the bad news to his
Austin audience, Terry's home base. That established a connection with Clarence and
opened the door to talk about the Stark Center and Terry's
pivotal role in the rise of strength coaching in baseball and
other sports. After that it was talk about the importance of exercise and
healthy living in every strata of life.
Isotopes field
is immaculately groomed--a sight to behold.
Mike's expertise as a
play-by-play broadcaster was apparent from the minute we entered
the broadcast booth. In the process of finishing up the first
game of the double header, he was painting a word picture of everything unfolding before him
for his
Austin audience. We knew we were sharing the booth with a
consummate professional. We were in very good hands.
Clarence and
Mike Capps in the broadcast booth.
Mike gave Clarence a couple of
innings to get the rhythm of the game and then began the
interview. The discussion was a bit bifurcated, but they managed
to cover an amazing range of health and fitness related topics.
Clarence was happy with his part and Mike Capps seemed
pleased as well.
Clarence
and Mike smiling for Carol's camera.
We walked out of the booth
knowing we had had a wonderful opportunity to introduce
ourselves to a new audience.
Thank you, Mike. We enjoyed sharing
the booth with you.
September 1, 2018
Mixed Results from Early
Return to Cooper Clinic
Clarence returned to the Cooper
Clinic in 8 months rather that his usual 18 months--to see how
he is doing without a statin.
After 20 years of excellent
results from a low dose statin and healthy living, Clarence was
forced by side-effects to test the water with lifestyle alone.
Preliminary results are good, but not as good as with the
statin. His lipid profile went from almost perfect to pretty
good. HDL "good" cholesterol and triglycerides were
unchanged, but LDL "bad" cholesterol was up substantially.
His Cholesterol/HDL ratio remains
"quite healthy," Dr. McFarlin wrote in his preliminary summary
of results.
Taking a leaf out of The
Healing Self by Chopra and Tanzi, you might say that 20
years of excellent results from statins--and lifestyle--will
keep his coronary arteries wide open for many more years than
would be the case without the statin. The decades of statin
therapy have very likely created a coronary artery reserve.
Dr. John Ho, whose CT
angiogram tests have shown Clarence's coronary arteries to be
"very large," summed it up: "After all, he's not going to live another 50 years." We interpret that to mean that regular exercise,
healthy eating, and purposeful living will likely keep him going strong for many years to
come.
We'll have an expanded piece in our
June update when we'll have the full report from Dr. McFarlin.
May 1, 2018
Nutrition Professor &
Consultant Interviews Clarence
Christine Rosenbloom, PhD, RD,
Fand, has wanted to be a dietitian since the age of 13 and has
fulfilled her dream beyond all reasonable expectations. She
worked as a clinical dietitian in cardiac rehabilitation before
joining the faculty at Georgia State University, where she
taught, conducted research, and served in leadership positions
over a span of 30 years. She has been a private consultant since 2010, providing a wide
range of nutrition consulting services, from speaking to
professional and consumer audiences to writing research and
review papers for peer-reviewed journals.
She contacted us last month asking
to use photos from our website in a presentation to other
dietitians on food and fitness after 50. She followed up by
interviewing Clarence for her blog. It was a
wide ranging interview filled with details about Clarence's
philosophy of diet and training. Unlike most
interviews she took notes rather than recording the
conversation.
A week later she sent us a copy
of her post: Food & Fitness After 50: Clarence Bass, an Example
of Lifelong Commitment to Food & Fitness. She must not
only take short hand, but have an amazing memory and comprehension of the
subject matter. She has captured Clarence and his lifestyle wonderfully well.
She has done an excellent job of photo selection and explaining the key concepts that have driven Clarence's 65
years of healthy eating and fitness training. She even
put one of his ways of staying motivated to work in her own
exercise routine.
This link will take you to her
blog and what she wrote about Clarence in a post dated February
27, 2018:
https://chrisrosenbloom.com/fit-to-eat-blog/
March 1, 2018
European Podcast Interviews
Clarence at 80
Austrian sports climber Jurgen
Reis visited with us in 2007, the same year that he and strength
expert and sports reporter Dominik Feischl launched what has
become Europe's most ambitious fitness podcast.
Power-Quest.cc has averaged a new podcast every five days since
then. Seems impossible but these guys have energy coming out
their ears.
Jurgen combs the world for
interesting sports personalities to interview. We told him about
Bill Pearl and he was interviewing the great man in a
matter of weeks. Not easy because Pearl only does selected
interviews.
This was their 10th interview of
Clarence.
As soon as we posted photos of
Clarence at 80, Jurgen was on us to do another interview. We
wondered what was left for them to talk about. No worries.
Jurgen did his homework and focused on the two years since the
last interview on December 2, 2015.
Interestingly, there was a mix up
on the day when Jurgen would call. Clarence got back from his
morning walk to find that Jurgen was on the phone. So without a
moment of preparation, Clarence took off his coat and did the
interview.
Jurgen inquired about life on the
eve of Clarence's ninth decade. He focused on new events in
Clarence's life--such as his new hip and straightened nose--and
the interview was over before we knew it.
The main news is that nothing much
had changed, as shown by Clarence's everyday photos from 75 to
80. If you didn't know better, you'd thing all of the photos
were taken on the same day. Clarence's body composition is
essentially unchanged.
Most of the interview focuses on how
that was accomplished.
To learn about that and more, log
on to the interview, which will be # 643:
http://power-quest.cc/
We haven't listened to the
podcast as this is being written--it's scheduled to go online
December 31--but the introduction is
in German. You will have to fast forward to
the interview in English. (Jurgen tells us that the interview
begins at 10 minutes and runs for about 35 minutes.)
You can read more about Jurgen
Reis on our Fitness Personalities page:
http://www.cbass.com/JurgenReis.htm
Jurgen sends us photos regularly.
Here's a recent one taken during a break in a climbing workout.
You'll be hard put to find an ounce of fat on his body. He's
muscle and bone--and endless energy
Jurgen Reis
January 1, 2018
One Month Follow-up:
Nose Blockage Significantly Improved
The splints used to straighten
Clarence's nose were removed at one week. The surprise was their
length. Carol couldn't believe her eyes as the medical assistant
slowly slipped them out one at a time. Barely visible from the outside, they were as
long as your index finger!
Clarence was able to breathe normally for the first time in
memory. "I'm a new man," he announced to the surgeon who came
in a few minutes later.
His elation was short
lived, evaporating when the doctor warned him that swelling
was part of the healing process and would temporarily restrict
his air flow once again. The one-month follow-up showed that
some swelling remains and that it may be another month before
his "New Man" status returns to stay.
The good news is that the
benefits are already apparent. Fitbit shows that Clarence is
sleeping an average of about 8 hours a night. Up to 9 hours on occasion. Something he hasn't experienced since his teen years.
Research suggests that other
benefits may follow as the flow of oxygen to his brain is
equalized.
The doctor who recommended that
Clarence have his nose blockage corrected no longer does
surgery, but once did 10 or 15 such procedures a week. Patients
have told him that their running times were
substantially improved. The doctor who did Clarence's surgery
won't confirm that, but wouldn't rule it out. Our
feeling is that a more even air flow can only help.
A study from India, published on
line February 17, 2015, found that correction of septal
deviation significantly reduced the blood pressure of subjects
with untreated hypertension. The researchers concluded that
abnormal airflow can play a role in hypertension. "Patients
should therefore be encouraged to undergo septal correction for
the prevention of cardio-pulmonary complications secondary to
hypertension," the researchers wrote.
It
seems clear that correcting nasal airway obstruction can
influence
overall bodily function.
Without question it improves quality of life.
November 1, 2017
One Life Radio Has
Clarence Back to Discuss The Longevity Plan
On the morning of the day
Clarence was to be on the program for the second time (see below
for the first time), executive producer Lexi Brinkley asked if
there was anything new he would like to discuss. We referred her
to our October feature article on The Longevity Plan, a
book by cardiologist John Day about the lessons he learned
living with and studying villagers in China who remain healthy
and productive into their nineties and even 100 or more.
What we
didn't know was that Dr. Day and his wife Jane had already been
on the show to discuss their book. While a bit of a surprise--Clarence learned
of it at the beginning of his segment--it was good news. It allowed him
to focus on portions of the book he found most meaningful on a
personal basis.
After a brief summary of what the
book is about, Clarence talked about the importance of having a
positive mind-set
and finding a rhythm of life that keeps you productive--and healthy. Telling about his own experience, it makes for
stimulating conversation, with the bubbly personality of moderator
Bernadette Fiaschetti keeping the energy level high.
Here's the link to listen to the
segment, which begins about 12 minutes into the program:
https://www.oneliferadio.com/oct-23rd-2017-mr-ripped-sugar-pro-biotics
November 1, 2017
Clarence and Carol Attend
Brunch Reunion for UNM Law Grads
The gathering was held at the
home of Dean Sergio Pareja and his wife Professor Mary Leto
Pareja. You might call it a reunion of survivors, because only
six grads attended. Co-Dean Alfred Mathewson and
Director of the Alumni Relations Melissa Lobato rounded out the
gathering.
Clarence was the only member of the class of 1962 to
attend. Surprisingly, the class of 1957 was out in force with
four grads in attendance. The class of 1967 also mustered only
one attendee.
Distance and circumstances
prevented some from attending, but old age has apparently caught
up with many of the others.
The small group made it possible
to catch up with everyone. It allowed us to research most of the
attendees beforehand and mix in a way
that is rare for gatherings of this type. It was a meaningful experience.
Dean Pareja briefed the gathering
on the current status of UNM Law. A small professor-to-student
ratio and relatively low tuition make it one of the most
appealing law schools in the nation.
Everyone also had the opportunity
to tell law school stories and what they are doing currently.
Clarence was the only one to embark on a career in fitness.
In the photo below Dean Mathewson
is on the far left and Dean Pareja is in the red shirt. Clarence is
in running flats.
November 1, 2017
Clarence Had Surgery to
Correct an Obstructed Nostril
Clarence has had a deviated
septum perhaps going back to his days of wrestling in high
school. The blockage has grown to about 80% in his right nostril
and began to disrupt his sleep. Apparently this is a fairly
common problem and easily corrected.
He had surgery a few days ago to
straighten the septum and reduce the enlarged turbinates inside
his nose. The surgery went well with no pain, but some
discomfort afterward due to drainage and swelling during the
healing process. He will see the doctor next week to remove the
splints and any clots which may have formed.
It should be smooth sailing after
that. He is looking forward to being able to breath normally
once again.
The doctor who recommended the
surgery is a long time friend and tells Clarence that his brain
will love the even flow of oxygen which will result. We can't
wait for the magic to begin.
October 1, 2017
One Life Radio Spotlights Clarence
As the name suggests, One Life
Radio is dedicated to helping listeners live life to the
fullest. Bernadette Fiaschetti and her crew read about Clarence
in Men's Health and wanted to spread the word about 79
being the new 29.
They have an amazing variety of guests and
experts on their hour-long live broadcasts and follow-on podcasts.
Bernadette is a success in business, philanthropy, and
parenting--and walks her talk. Co-host and executive producer
Lexi Brinkley is on the same path with degrees in broadcast
journalism and business management. Danny Miles is the male
member of the team.
Listening to several of their
podcasts shows them to be high-energy and skilled broadcasters.
You can see why they have listeners across the country and subscribers around the world,
along with an
impressive list of sponsors.
We were excited for Clarence to
be on the show!
While sandwiched between an
expert on human growth hormone (HGH) and a women explaining the
YouTube family vlog phenomenon, Clarence was the headliner
plugged throughout the hour long program.
Clarence has been invited to be a
regular on the show, perhaps appearing one Monday a month.
Nothing definite at this time.
To listen to the July 10 podcast:
https://www.oneliferadio.com/july-10th-hgh-clarence-bass-vloggers
August 1, 2017
Scientific Paper on Aging
Features Photos of Clarence
Professor Hirofumi Tanaka's paper
"Aging of Competitive Athletes," just published in the journal
Gerontology, includes photos of Clarence at 15, 40, 60, 70,
and 79. Tanaka, Director of the Cardiovascular Aging Research
Laboratory at the University of Texas at Austin, studies
aging competitive athletes as models of successful aging. He has
published over 250 research articles in this area.
"From the scientific standpoint,
examining Masters athletes can provide insight into preventive
gerontology, primary prevention of age-related diseases and
dysfunctions, and exercise-based medical practices," he wrote in
the abstract of his new paper. "Moreover, the study on Masters
athletes is simply joyous and entertaining as they often remind
us what can be possible in aging," he continued. For the
full text of
the abstract:
https://www.karger.com/Article/FullText/477722
You'll have to pay
to see the photos of Clarence and read the paper. It's well worth it.
A highlight is Tanaka's
comparison of naked mole rats and Masters athletes.
These rodents demonstrate
extraordinary longevity and the ability to avoid cancerous
tumors at any age. They do not demonstrate age-associated
arterial stiffening. They are able to maintain muscular strength
and function, bone density,
and sexual functions until very close to death. At a tender old
age that is equivalent to a human age of 92 years, naked mole
rats display unchanged levels of physical activity. A human
population that can get closest to naked mole rats and their
aging process would be Masters athletes.
Our thanks to Professor Tanaka
for sharing photos of Clarence with the scientific community.
July 1, 2017
Men's Health Magazine Calls
Clarence
"One of America's Greatest
Fitness Visionaries"
Article and
Photos Now Online
The June issue of
Men's Health hit the
newsstands in the last weeks of May with a wide-ranging article
profiling Clarence.
One of a
seven-part feature called "Generations," the five-page piece begins on page 126.
The title is "79 is the
New 29."
Nick Heil (see below) did a
wonderful job capturing what Clarence is about, with
humor and flair. Our only complaint is that the
painting of Clarence by Tim O'Brien gives him white hair. What
hair he does have is not white.
The magazine uses eight photos of
Clarence to create a time-line of discovery spanning 58 years. At 17, he won the
state
pentathlon championship by being the only weight trained competitor.
At 30, he was one of the first to recognize the value
of aerobics for weight trainers. At 36, he began a lifetime habit of
tracking his body composition. At 41, he abandoned the traditional
volume approach to bodybuilding for Arthur Jones' brief, hard and infrequent
method. At 51, he coined "The Ownership Principle"
which says best results come from methods we choose for
our self. At 53, he discovered that the Concept 2 Rower mimics Olympic lifting, and worked himself up to fourth in the
world for his age group. At 72, he created a 10 minute "Morning
Motion" routine to preserve muscles and joints.
At 75, he began counting his steps for motivation and to speed recovery.
Clarence
has never stopped trying to improve. "The best times in life are
when you're struggling toward a difficult goal," he told
Men's Health.
Heil tells
about training and eating with Clarence, and queries fitness
stalwarts Ellington Darden, Dan John, and Mark Peterson, PhD, a
professor of physical medicine at the University of Michigan,
about Clarence and his contributions.
"If abs are made in the kitchen, then Mr. Ripped's
abs are made by his wife," Nick quips, referring to the bean-vegetable mixtures
and salads Carol makes fresh for him every week.
There's plenty more.
As you might expect from a men's
magazine, the article ends with a few paragraphs on drugs and sex.
Pick up the June issue and let us
know what you think.
June 1, 2017
Read the entire
article, including the painting and photos, online:
http://www.menshealth.com/fitness/79-is-the-new-29
July 1, 2017
Corporate Warrior Interviews
Clarence
At 95 minutes, this
may be the longest and most focused single interview Clarence
has done.
UK Based, Corporate Warrior
covers
"Health, Business and Time Optimisation." Just what
the doctor ordered for the thoughtful trainer with a life outside the gym.
"I created this website for busy
people who are looking to get fit, build lean muscle, and burn
body fat using evidence-based exercise that is safe, efficient,
and highly effective," founder Lawrence Neal explains. "In
addition, I provide personal development and time management
advice to help busy people achieve maximum results in their
careers, business, and personal lives."
Perhaps more than any other
interviewer, Neal called on Clarence to talk about big
picture concepts that make training work over a lifetime.
Instead of talking sets and reps, Clarence zeroed in on concepts such as overload, rest--and enjoyment.
Bottom line topics you don't often hear discussed on fitness podcasts.
The show notes suggest the
quality and depth of the podcast. The scope is the most comprehensive
we've seen. Beginning with a pithy one sentence synopsis of the
interview and a full page photo of Clarence at 70, the notes outline
Clarence's background, provide contact information, list topics
covered (with the location to the minute and second), selected links, people
mentioned, and related podcasts.
Lawrence Neal (shown here) goes
the extra mile to provide his audience with the tools to dig
deeper into every topic covered. "My audience seem to derive a lot
of value from the blog posts so why not" he responded to our
praise of his extraordinary efforts.
Photo courtesy of Lawrence Neal
Our thanks to Lawrence for allowing
Clarence to help him advance his mission.
Check it out. You won't be
disappointed. The show notes alone are a treasure chest of
information.
Here's the link:
http://www.15minutecorporatewarrior.com/podcast/clarence-bass/
May 1, 2017
Men's Health to
Profile Clarence
Men's Health, the premiere
general-interest health and fitness publication with 1.5 million
readers in the USA and 12 million readers worldwide, is planning
to profile Clarence in an upcoming issue. Fitness and health
journalist and author Nick Heil spent several days with us last
month. He interviewed Clarence on a wide range of topics and
worked out with him twice. The first was a foothills workout
with Clarence and Carol and the second a full-body strength
workout with Clarence in our home gym. He also visited our
office, which houses our mail order business, Clarence's office,
and a fully equipped weight gym. He took photos with his cell
phone everywhere he went.
Heil is the second mainstream
journalist to explore our lifestyle in depth. (The first was Lee
Bergquist for his book SECOND WIND: The Rise of the Ageless
Athlete, published in 2009.) Nick has been covering health
and fitness for a variety of outlets for more than 15 years. He
was a senior editor at Outside magazine from 1999 to
2006. He is also the author of DARK SUMMIT: The True Story of
Everest's Most Controversial Season (Henry Holt, 2008).
He has worked as a climbing and skiing instructor, and has
traveled extensively in Europe, Asia, and North America.
Just short of 50, Nick is in good
shape at about 6 feet tall and 190 pounds. He more than kept up
with us in the foothills and matched Clarence on most movements
in the weight workout. He now makes his home up the road from us
in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
We don't know what Heil will
write--or when it will appear. He warns us that it could be as
much as a year before the profile appears. We can
tell you that we enjoyed having Nick with us. He's a good
listener and seemed to enjoy learning how we live.
We found this photo of Nick
on Google. He looks younger in person.
For examples of Nick's writing:
http://nickheil.com/writing/ You'll be impressed, as
we were.
December 1, 2016
Ripped Enterprises, P.O. Box 51236, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87181-1236
or
street address: 528 Chama, N.E., Albuquerque, New Mexico 87108,
Phone AND FAX (505)
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