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Fitness enthusiast, body builder and author Karim Ramos makes his debut today as a columnist and fitness contributor to GlobalGrind.

Karim looks familiar to you because we profiled him a few months ago after he published his first book From Fat Farm To Phat Farm, which chronicled his journey as an overweight intern to successful bodybuilder and model. 

STORY: Karim Ramos: From Fat Farm To Phat Farm

Ramons began his professional life as an intern with Russell Simmons and Phat Farm, eventually working his way up the ladder as a PR manager and model for the brand in the 1990s.

As young person struggling to make it in the Big Apple, Ramos was able to overcome obstacles and achieve his goals through motivation and discipline via diet and exercise.

In this space he will share his expertise and knowledge in order to help you reach your fitness and health goals.

His first post today is about reducing muscle soreness after exercising.  

Check it out on the next page!

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How To Reduce Muscle Soreness

Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS, for short) is the pain felt 24-72 hours after an overly aggressive exercise routine, and is one of the main reasons new exercisers drop out of a more healthy, active lifestyle.

While the pain associated with DOMS is one of the big mysteries of exercise science, starting out nice and easy is the best way to minimize the pain. According to Adam Freedman, CSCS, of ASPEN Fitness Consultants of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, “start with 1 set of 12-15 repetitions.” After that, go home, eat something healthy and get a good night’s sleep.

A lot of us overdo it… Don’t.  

Begin your exercises nice and easy then build your way into it.  The last thing you want to do is over-train a muscle and not be able to workout at all for months.

Another careless move we all tend to make while exercising is holding our breath: that’s a no-no. Don’t hold your breath while exercising. Holding your breath during resistance training is called the Valsalva maneuver. To sum it up for you, the Valsalva maneuver states that when we hold our breath, we increase the pressure inside our chests. This pressure reduces the return of blood to the heart. When less blood gets back to the heart, it follows that less blood is pumped to the brain. This in turn reduces oxygen to the brain and, in extreme instances, this may result in passing out—not a good thing, if you happen to be holding a very heavy weight over your head!

Holding your breath also raises your blood pressure, which isn’t good either. Avoiding the Valsalva maneuver is easy—just breathe.

Thanks for following and please feel free to comment or ask questions. Let’s all motivate each other!

Smile & Breathe,

Karim Ramos