Articles: 
 From The Desk of Clarence Bass

First, I believe every person is conducting an experiment of one. We all have different backgrounds, needs, goals and abilities. I would never blindly follow anyone else's diet or training regimen, and I don't expect anyone to blindly follow mine. That's why I always try to explain not only "how" I eat or train, but "why" as well. That's so readers can understand and evaluate my methods, weigh my advice. I expect you to take what rings true, makes sense - most of it, hopefully - and adapt it to your special situation. Leave the rest.

Diet

The word "diet" has a negative connotation. It conjures up thoughts of hunger and deprivation. Diets don't work very well, because they make people unhappy. That's why I never diet. I follow an eating style. I believe the key to permanent body fat control is eating satisfaction. There's no need to eat foods you don't like - I never do - and there's no need to ever leave the table feeling hungry.

That doesn't mean there's no discipline involved. There is. It takes effort and planning to eat the sensible, no-hunger way. Still, master my style of eating, and you can look forward to a lifetime of eating satisfaction - and leanness.

The secret lies not in how much you eat, but what you eat. If you eat the right things you can almost eat as much as you want and still lose fat; it's actually hard to overeat. What happens is you become full and satisfied before you take in more calories than you burn.

The details are in my books. But here's a brief summary: my eating style is near vegetarian--primarily plant-based foods (whole foods and healthy fats), along with full-fat dairy, eggs, and fish. There's plenty of good quality protein for the hardest training athlete. All the macro- and micro-nutrients are there. It's healthy--and satisfying.

Finally, I almost never count calories or macronutrients. You won't have to either, once you master the "Ripped" style of eating.

Exercise

I started exercising regularly when I was about 13 - and never stopped. So, it should come as no surprise that, as in the case of diet, I look on exercise as a lifestyle. I believe your body tends to mirror your lifestyle. That's nature's way. The body seems to sense that an active person needs to be lean and, conversely, that a sedentary person does not.

In the same vein, I am convinced that exercise gets more important, rather than less, as you get older. Therefore, I take a long-term approach to exercise, an approach designed to keep you training - and improving - year after year.

I admit to being a "muscle head." Weight training has always been my first love. But I recognize that one cannot be totally fit without aerobic exercise. As a result I follow a balanced exercise program: strength and endurance. A dual approach, weights and aerobics, is not only the route to total fitness, it's also the best way to become lean and stay lean. In my books, you'll find all the details - they're fascinating, I believe - on the role weights and aerobics play in becoming lean and totally fit. Interestingly, resistance and aerobic exercise are of a piece. You can’t have one without some of the other.

Enjoyment, believe it or not, is the key ingredient in any really successful exercise plan. That doesn't mean the program must be easy. To the contrary, productive exercise is often brutally hard. What it does mean is that the regimen must be satisfying.

In my view exercise satisfaction comes mainly from two things: variety and goals. Both the body and the mind respond best to a varied exercise approach. You'll find plenty of variety, change, in the workouts I recommend. You'll never be bored. What's more, variation is essential to long-term progress.

Goals, realistic goals, are equally important, because they keep you motivated. Nothing is more satisfying than to set an exercise goal or target, work hard, and then achieve that goal. But a goal achieved is a goal lost, so you must continually challenge yourself with new goals. That's why I recommend - and follow - a goal-oriented training approach.

Finally, I don't have all day to spend in the gym. I have a life outside the gym, and I know my readers do as well. Fortunately, that's never been a problem, because in my opinion best results come from short, hard and infrequent training. Believe it or not, that applies to both weights and aerobics.

Interested? The details are in my books, which you'll find described on our Products Page.

Customer Service: Phone (505) 266-5858 [M-F, 8-5 Mountain time],
FAX: (505) 266-9123, e-mail: cncbass@aol.com
Ripped Enterprises: 528 Chama, N.E., Albuquerque, New Mexico 87108, USA

[Home] [Philosophy] [What's New] [Products] [FAQ] [Feedback] [Order]

Copyright © 1996-2022 Clarence and Carol Bass. All rights reserved.