Rachel Marcus

I participated in Rachel’s Beginners Running Group this fall and it was wonderful! Rachel sets a great tone — joyful and supportive, yet challenging. I really appreciated Rachel’s focus on fitness and health rather than weight loss. Our group was diverse in terms of age, race, gender, and running experience. Some people were completely new to exercising, while others had been runners years ago and were wanting to get back into it. The way she paced the class made it so that everyone could start with easy, manageable running/​walking intervals and slowly step it up over the course of the 12 weeks to run a 5K on Thanksgiving. I had never run in a race before, but training with Rachel made it feel much more doable and fun! She picked out interesting places for us to run each week, and sent us encouraging e-​mails with tips and information on things like breathing and form during the week. At each session she’d lead us in fun stretches and warm ups, talk for a bit about a technical aspect of running that we could focus on, and then give us our intervals for the week. As we ran, she’d take time to check in with each of us about how it was going and help keep us motivated. She was never judgmental, always upbeat and encouraging. In the end, I felt bonded with this group of people, and I was looking forward to running more! I’m so thankful to Rachel for helping get me back into regular exercise and connect with a community of like-​minded folks.

When I first started personal training sessions with Rachel back in January 2014, I was 245lbs over weight — I was close to 400lbs. I hated going to the gym, and really couldn’t do much mobility wise. Weight really sneaks up on you when you’re inactive for most of your day… I felt horrible, and tired all the time.
I found out about Rachel in an interview she did in a body positive blog I read. I was nervous about emailing her at first, but I’m so happy I did. My first time meeting her was just an assessment of what mobility and activity I could do and couldn’t do. Eventually she personalized a 60 min workout plan that worked for me and my target areas I needed help with. She has always been very attentive when something caused me pain and immediately stopped it. I suffer from tennis elbow and carpal tunnel syndrome on both arms/​wrists so having someone who can help me strengthen those muscles is great! She’s helped me with my balance, and strengthen my knee muscles so I can go up my home’s 3 flights of stairs without feeling winded.
Best of all she encourages you by using positive affirmations, unlike other meat-​head personal trainers who feel like yelling is the way to get through to someone.
Rachel doesn’t focus on weight loss as being the ultimate goal, it’s really about increasing mobility and activity. Although I only did a few months of training sessions with Rachel (had to stop due to a medical issue, but I plan on going back after my surgery) my mobility increased tenfold.
I’m down 50lbs since February, and although I’m still no where near where I need to be, I’ve realized that I don’t have to be afraid of moving around, or feel insecure at a gym, or out in public. I’ve found a love for exercising thanks to Rachel.
I can’t wait to see her again soon.

I participated in a biking group led by Rachel in the East Bay and it was amazing! She is a shining beam of light — super positive and encouraging. The group really helped me get over some psychological blocks I had over my biking ability/​endurance, and Rachel showed us some beautiful areas of the East Bay that were new to me. Her groups are very welcoming of all types of bodies and identities and levels of athletic ability — extra special for those of us who haven’t felt safe in those ways in other situations.

I’ve had a few sessions with Rachel, and if I don’t have more, it’ll only be because I’m moving out of the Bay Area. She was recommended to me by a friend as a personal trainer who would respect my desire to focus on getting stronger, not on losing weight. I’ve found that to be accurate; she lives up to her motto «fitness for the body that you’re in». So far, she’s helped me put together a weightlifting routine after I’d been out of the gym for a few years, and taught me some new tricks. She always keeps it positively focused when giving feedback, and she’s a supportive and friendly person.
Her San Francisco location is comfortable and well-​appointed, and I appreciate that she’s available on Saturdays, since I was coming up to see her from the South Bay. She also did a Skype session with me initially, with me showing her my form for different exercise via my laptop camera, and I appreciated that she was willing to do that. While her rates are quite affordable, for budget reasons, I’ve had to limit my visits to her to once a month, and she’s never pressured me to do more.
I recommend Rachel if you have any qualms about starting to exercise again or getting to the next level up; she keeps the focus on fun and functionality, with no body-​shaming or negativity.

I took Rachel’s running series, she is very knowledgeable in bodies of all types and abilities. She is creative and in the moment with differing skill levels, allowing every body the agency it deserves. Rachel is also a sweetheart and literally got me though some tough body moments. I never exhausted her creative avenues (which highlighted her immense knowledge of the body) to keep me growing as a runner nor her patience. After 39 yrs of hating running I ran relay in the Oakland Marathon 2014.

It’s been over a year since I started training with Rachel, and things are going great! I recently took her Beginner’s Running Group class and successfully ran my first 5k. Ever. Considering I have always hated running and had never run more than a mile in my life prior, I really surprised myself! Kudos to Rachel for creating a no-​pressure, supportive and friendly space for me to take it easy and appreciate the simple act of running. I liked it so much I just signed up for the same class again as did a few familiar faces.

Rachel is an awesome personal trainer!
I was entirely skeptical of the TRX bands, but Rachel walked me through the whole process and made me feel safe. I definitely wouldn’t have tried this on my own and I have to say — I was proud of myself for having tried it. Rachel pushed me out of my comfort zone in a good way.
Now that I’ve moved to NC, Rachel has sent me some kick ass workouts to do in my apartment while I prep to hike the John Muir Trail next month.
I love working with Rachel!

I just did an uphill biking clinic with Rachel and was very pleased. Rachel was well-​prepared, helpful, and did a great job of answering questions. She even brought plums from her garden for us to snack on when we got to the top!

This was my experience with Rachel:
We met on a Thursday for one session. It went well. During that session we discussed that ultimately I wanted to meet on a weekend with my spouse. She said she could do that at her Oakland studio, but not San Francisco. I agreed.
When I got home I saw her mobile phone was in my purse. I don’t know how it got there. I assume it fell off a ledge that my purse was sitting underneath. I emailed her, informed her I had her phone and asked about getting together to return it. Now, according to my worldview, it is up to her to get her own phone back, and I was prepared to be helpful. However, this is what actually happened:
— I live on the peninsula and she is in Oakland. I suggested we meet in SF, but she declined. I was going to be in Oakland the following evening, and I offered to meet her in Oakland.
— Her response was to ask me to meet her at the Ashby Bart station during the day. I responded that I hadn’t intended to go to Berkeley, and reiterated I would be in Oakland in the evening. She responded by asking me to meet her at BART station in Oakland, at the «ticket thingy» during rush hour. Just so it is clear, this means I would have to drive to Oakland at rush hour to a congested rail station, park, and find the «ticket thingy.» In case it is not clear, I am not familiar with this station.
— By this time I was getting frustrated with her behavior, so I asked her to give me a physical location where I could drop her phone or for her to come to where I would be in Oakland and pick her phone up herself (shocking idea, I know). Her response was to ask me to drop it off at her workplace in Berkeley during the day. Recall, I had already told her that 1. I didn’t want to drive out to Berkeley and 2. I wasn’t available during the day. However, at this point I just wanted the monkey of Rachel’s phone off my back so I rearranged the commitments I had that afternoon and delivered her phone to her. During the day. In Berkeley.
Though I had reservations about her maturity levels at this point, I decided to give her a second chance. I emailed her and told her that my spouse and I would like to book an appointment on Saturday, at her space in Oakland, at whatever time worked for her. She responded by saying she had thought about it and decided that seeing clients on Saturday wasn’t going to work for her. The final straw? Her comment, «I am sorry if I led you to believe otherwise.»
Wait.
When you have an express conversation with someone regarding a time and place and agreement to move forward, that is not leading them to believe something. That is giving your word to something. If you are going to go back on that, fine. But own it.
Having received that email reinforced to me that Rachel is simply not at a stage in her business practices where she is either able or willing to be responsible for herself, her word or her clients.
So, my final impression of her is that instead of a professional fitness trainer, she views herself more as a friend who you are paying to play with you at her whim.
Bottom line? I really like what Rachel stands for and I think she’s got an idea that is real and special. But her ability to translate that into a business is lacking. So if you agree that you want to support what she stands for (I did) and either don’t work, or don’t have other responsibilities and can turn yourself and your schedule inside out to meet her needs and clean up her messes, GO FOR IT.

I found Rachel Marcus online while looking for a running coach to help train for the Oakland Half Marathon. I liked that she seemed body positive, inclusive, and offered a sliding scale rate. Her running group turned out to be a very diverse group, ranging from very athletic, regular runners to people just getting into the sport. I can’t say enough good things about her running group, her style, and the results I achieved from signing up for her training program.
Rachel’s style is cheery, upbeat, and positive. She understands that running is difficult and she helps you achieve your goals through affirming comments, helpful suggestions, and positive encouragement – all while making you run your butt off. She gives personal attention to each person in the group, making a point to spend time running alongside each runner on the long runs to check in and give encouragement. She’s also aware of who’s at the back of the pack and makes sure to wait for them, if necessary, so each person, no matter how slow, never feels neglected or left behind.
Rachel obviously takes a lot of time preparing for the runs each week. She does a lot of research identifying trails and courses, and her class that took us to many beautiful spots throughout the Bay Area. She also sends out emails containing links on running theory and inspiration, and also puts together suggested stretching and strength training routines. I experienced some knee pain during my training – a common problem for runners – and Rachel put together a personalized set of knee exercises to help me to address my problem. The mix of group encouragement and personalized attention was very valuable in helping me achieve my goals.

I joined Rachel’s half-​marathon training group with a little running under my belt but a history of injury and fear that I wouldn’t be able to make it to the end. The event is just a month a way and I am increasingly hopeful that I’ll cross the finish line. Woohoo!
Rachel created a group atmosphere that was fun, unintimidating, and focused on running. I’ve found her training plan easy to implement on my own and the group is a great motivator. The long runs have been exciting and the tapered weeks have come just at the right time. Perhaps, for me, the most important thing has been that Rachel is encouraging — no matter you speed or level. She is interested in you meeting your goals, whatever they may be.

I had my first training session with Rachel and found her to be incredibly patient, respectful and encouraging. Her style worked perfectly for me as I’m through with the gym atmosphere and really need the personal attention and space to improve my strength and endurance. Rachel worked with me to figure out a program that will get me to my goals while taking into account my ailments (fibromyalgia) and setting a pace that is challenging but not impossible to follow. She is sweet, kind and fun to be around! This is the best treat I can give myself!

I started working out with Rachel because I’ve struggled to make regular exercise and activity part of my life on my own. I’ve always felt self-​conscious at gyms and too shy to go to classes by myself, and I’ve never been disciplined enough to work out at home. I decided to start seeing a trainer to get in shape and hopefully learn how to bring activity into my life in a lasting way.
Working out with Rachel has been amazing for a lot of reasons. First, she really listened to my experiences, concerns and exercise goals in a way that made me feel excited and empowered to start working out again. She is warm, patient, and relatable – I never feel self-​conscious or judged. She designs workouts specific to me and my ability level that are challenging, but not daunting; strenuous, but fun. Each time is different and I never feel bored or uninspired. This is huge for me, since historically I have bailed on exercise the second I felt overwhelmed or bored. Instead, when I work out with her, I feel supported and motivated to keep going, keep trying.
Rachel is helping me learn how to run (something I’ve never been good at, but secretly wanted to try) and though it’s hard, I feel really excited and eager to work at it. She’s knowledgeable and I know that I’m getting great instruction and learning about what my body can do.
I would recommend training with Rachel to anyone. She’s an athlete who cares about the process of working your body – not just the end result. Also, she plays great tunes!