Challenge Yourself - Leanness, Fitness & Health - At Any Age

Thank you Mr. Bass! This book opened my eyes, finally, and showed me why after so many years of working my butt off in the gym I still have so little to show for it. Even more, now that I've adopted the HIT program you suggest in the book, I now have so much free time back that for the first time in years I have a life outside of work and the gym. I respect what you've accomplished and I am in awe of your dedication. More than that, this book and all of your others are also your gift to the rest of us, and those for many years to come. Your work shows us not only how to stay fit and stay lean, but also enjoy a special quality of life. This is a great read and an incredible story. Thank you once again! As a gym rat for over 15 years, I have found no better approach to fitness and leanness than "Challenge Yourself - Leanness, Fitness & Health - At Any Age." My highest recommendation!!!

Following the meal plan from this book has allowed me to lose 35 pounds since May of this year, from 200 lbs to my current 165 lbs. At age 39 I look and feel at least ten years younger and my self-esteem has greatly benefited. I should note that my intial weightloss success came after starting one of those internet diet groups; however, because it was based on calorie restriction over food type, I found myself starving and deprived. The secret to Clarence's eating style is the eating satisfaction that comes only from eating high fiber/volume foods that also happen to be low in calories. Contrast that to trying to eat a calorie restricted, high fat/sugar/salt diet that leaves your tummy and taste buds hungry for more, more, more. Lastly, I would like to point out that I have weight trained for a number of years, starting out as most do with a desire for adding mass to a skinny frame, hitting an all-time peak, gaining a great deal of bodyfat during a four year lay-off, and returning to the weights to try and recover my body; but, no matter how much I seemed to progress in my weight training, the bodyfat would not budge. If you are in denial of your bodyfat level, as I was, beleive me when I say you will not see muscle until you lose the fat, and this is the book that can help you lose it.

Having previously read (and reviewed) the author's previous volume: Lean for Life, I was pleased that this books is even better.The author does a great job describing the pros and cons of high volume vs. high intensity training. The author favors high intensity, infrequent training for strength and periodic high intensity aerobic training. Yet he is nondogmatic and his analysis is fair and balanced.The author's views on diet have modified and improved since Lean for Life. Indeed, that is the author's greatest asset--he is constantly learning and improving. That is is the ultimate message of this book--you must never stop challenging and improving yourself.This book is both inspirational and useful. But, if you aren't already doing weight training, you will need to learn technique from another book, video or trainer--it is not covered here.

Bass takes a non-dogmatic and sensible approach, and you can learn a lot about diet, weight training and general exercise from his books. If you are of the kind that will buy only one book on training, make this book it. The two things I miss are technique descriptions and an Index. Since I return to Bass' books again and again, an index is the one thing I'd really like to see added. As for technique, get Stuart McRoberts "Insider's Tell-All Handbook on Weight-Training Technique"; it's the perfect companion to "Challenge Yourself".

Clarence Bass has again taken current scientific research and mixed it with common sense to create an innovative and inspiring fitness book. His pieces on interval training for aerobics, high intensity vs. volume training for weight work and diet put him in a class of his own. However, unlike many, including yours truly, Bass feels no need to condemn other ideas as false or their authors as charlatans. This is a gentleman, in every sense of the word. Basically, what Bass tells us is that we can retire from jobs, but we cannot retire from life. If we want to remain vital, we have to find goals and work toward them. The goals have to be sensible and based upon what we do, not on how we do versus others. To this end, he has voraciously consumed articles and books on the sciences of diet and exercise. While other authors will tell you to do something because it has worked for their subjects, Bass will present research study and draw his conclusions while allowing you to draw your own for your particular needs and aspirations. I cannot recommend this book too highly.