A Grad with a Global Platform: Ramses Principe
BS, Exercise Physiology, Class of 2013
“There are millions of other trainers on social media, but my experience at Barry sets me apart.”
With nearly 300,000 Instagram followers, Ramses Principe has elevated his fitness and lifestyle brand to a global level. The Sport and Exercise Sciences alum launched MIA Fitness—an online training service and veritable storehouse for all things healthy living—in 2011, while still an undergraduate. But his path to becoming one of Miami’s top fitness entrepreneurs was not easy.
An athlete throughout his life, Principe had dreams of playing football in the NFL. He excelled on his Miami high school team and earned a scholarship to play for the University of the Cumberlands in Williamsburg, KY; but after two years, a shoulder injury forced him out of the sport. He returned to Miami and had surgery to repair his shoulder, but his recovery prevented him from exercising at his usual intensity. He gained weight and felt demoralized as he struggled to imagine his life without football at its center. On his popular YouTube channel, the Venezuelan-born Principe describes his emergence from his depression as something of an epiphany. “One day I just made a choice,” he says. “It’s either today or never.” Through hard work and healthy living, he got in shape and earned his certification as a personal trainer. He applied equal determination to his Exercise Physiology program at Barry, knowing the combination of his experience as an elite athlete and academic success would make him unstoppable in his new chosen venture: trainer and lifestyle coach.
Now, Principe is an influencer, the author of multiple e-books, and an online trainer to countless people of all fitness levels. He’s also a source of inspiration in his Miami community, donating both his time and healthy food to at-risk youth and cleaning trash from local waterways. A visit to his social media pages and his MIA Fitness site reveals his holistic approach to a healthy and fit lifestyle. Not only does he offer training packages, he also created his own line of supplements as well as cookbooks and a guide to mindful meditation. Recently, he added to his busy career by launching MIA Fitness Management, a training management firm. Principe credits Barry’s SES program with exposing him to a wealth of information he incorporates in his training philosophy. “Barry gave me the knowledge I needed in my field,” he says. “There are millions of other trainers on social media, but my experience at Barry sets me apart.”