Clarence Bass at 70 years young

At 45

at 54

At 60

At 65

At 70

His greatest fame, probably comes from his ability to maintain his body fat at a very low level. Body composition tests have on numerous occasions measured his body fat at 3% or lower, when the average man his age has a body fat level 25% or higher and world-class male marathon runners usually carry 5 or 6 percent fat.

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.

My eating style is low in fat (not too low), high in natural carbohydrates (carbs, the right kind, are not fattening) and near vegetarian (small amounts of meat and fish). Still there's plenty of good quality protein for the hardest training athlete. All the macro- and micro-nutrients are there. It's healthy, balanced - and satisfying.

Finally, I almost never count calories. 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 specific and distinct roles weights and aerobics play in becoming lean and totally fit.

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 you 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.