Hi, I’m Rachel!
I’m a 38-year-old mom of 2 who is passionate about creating science-based, low-impact workouts that help women get stronger and see visible results from their workouts. I combine my degrees in Kinesiology and Occupational Therapy (physical rehab) with training in Pilates and experience in physique training to create easy to follow routines that increase lean muscle, improve cardiovascular health, promote fat loss, and are fun!
My passion for body recomposition—the process of building lean muscle while losing fat—began in 2011. While in grad school for Occupational Therapy, I worked as a personal trainer and trained for a bodybuilding competition. While I knew the fundamentals of movement and training from my Kinesiology degree, bodybuilding introduced me to another side of the fitness world-one focused on studying the most effective training methods for physique change. After years of under-eating and over-exercising, I shifted to traditional strength training, learned how to fuel properly, and built the foundation of the physique you see today. Helping my clients achieve their own transformations, and watching their confidence grow as a result, became one of my favorite aspects of my work as a trainer.
After graduating, I began my career as an Occupational Therapist. While meaningful, I never felt the same passion for OT that I did for fitness. In 2019, after moving to a new state and having my second son, my husband encouraged me to blend my therapy background with my love for fitness. That led me to STOTT Pilates instructor training and a weekend role teaching reformer Pilates.
In 2021, I started Rachel’s Fit Pilates on YouTube to get more practice with class planning and cueing. What began as "practice" grew into a global community of over 1 million subscribers 4 years later. While I initially offered Pilates workouts, I realized the women drawn to my channel desired workouts that delivered strength and physique change. Knowing that Pilates was not intended for body recomposition, I began to shift the focus of my channel to be a full fitness experience: strength to create physique changes, Pilates to fill in the gaps of traditional strength training (stability, control, balance, and flexibility work) and cardio for cardiovascular health. My intention is not to create workouts that are marketed as "better" than Pilates, but ones that can better serve the fitness and physique goals of the women in our RFP community.
Now I’m excited to take the RFP experience to the next level and offer our community even more through an app.
That’s why I created Rachel’s Fit Physique:
To build a space where you feel supported in BOTH your strength and physique goals.
To design new programs that include all 3 methods of exercise, using current research in exercise science. A higher emphasis on progressive overload, body-part specific training and more structured programs than my older workouts.
To teach you the art and science of body recomposition, support you with tools beyond the workouts, and help you see that your goals are truly within reach!
While Pilates x Strength classes are on the rise, if physique change is one of your goals, you need a program with a very strong "strength" component. While I've studied different forms of movement, strength training is my highest area of expertise, and the one that I'm most passionate about. My goal is to deliver a workout experience, community, and results you can’t get anywhere else- so you can train smarter, get stronger, and build a physique you're proud of!
Degrees/Training/Certifications:
-Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology w/ a minor in health promotion, Master of Science in Occupational Therapy, Licensed Occupational Therapist (M.S., OT/L), STOTT Pilates Mat Trained Instructor, STOTT Pilates Stability Chair Trained Instructor, STOTT Pilates Reformer Certified Instructor, NASM Certified Weight Loss Specialist. Continuing Education: Yearly CEUs in STOTT Pilates and Occupational Therapy, American College of Sports Medicine Fitness Professional Membership
