Rey Russell | Pilates & Movement Wellness

What I Offer

Five disciplines, one practice

Every service is built to work together — movement quality feeds strength, strength feeds recovery, and nutrition supports all of it.

MAT

Muscle Activation Technique

A non-invasive approach to correcting the muscular imbalances and joint instability behind pain, dysfunction, and limited mobility. Used to prevent injury, accelerate recovery, and relieve chronic issues — from back and hip pain to tendonitis, sciatica, runner's knee, and tennis elbow.

$135 / hr

Pilates

Comprehensive Classical Pilates equipment work and contemporary mat instruction, built on developing control through every joint and reducing compensation patterns. Pilates is a full-body workout and a movement philosophy.

From $75

Strength Training

Strength is the base for all muscle growth and physical capability. Sessions are structured around the movement patterns you use every week, including squatting, hinging, lunging, pushing, pulling, and carrying, for long-term functional strength.

$100 / hr

Corrective Exercise

Somatics, Pilates, and physical-therapy techniques combined to build efficient neuromuscular pathways, mobilize tight areas, and strengthen weak ones, as a way to reduce or eliminate lower back pain, frozen shoulder syndrome, and kyphosis.

Priced by session

Nutrition Coaching

A whole-foods-first philosophy built on client education and sustainable habits, not extreme restriction. Consultations combine assessment, macronutrient education, and grocery and cooking skills. Built to make you independent, not dependent.

$70 / 45 min

[Headshot of Rey Russell]

About

Meet Rey Russell

Movement should feel good and serve your body's needs.

I teach and train full-time at FFC in Old Town, with in-home sessions available for clients who prefer it. Over more than a decade, I've built an integrated practice around Pilates, muscle activation, corrective exercise, strength training, and nutrition — because the body doesn't separate those things, and training shouldn't either.

My approach emphasizes quality of movement over quantity: proper alignment, breath, and intention, applied consistently, do more for chronic pain, body awareness, and long-term performance than any high-intensity shortcut. I meet each client where they are and build the plan around that starting point, not a template.

MAT Master Full Body Feb 2026
FFC Comprehensive Pilates Apr 2023
NASM Stretch Specialist Jun 2022
PPSC 1 Certified Jun 2021
NASM Certified Oct 2015
Sports Nutrition, AFPA Jan 2016
Nutrition, Precision Nutrition Apr 2016
Contemporary Mat Pilates, Cornish College

Nutrition Philosophy

Food that supports how you move

My approach to nutrition centers on whole foods that support training performance and recovery. Supplements are used strategically, within a broader plan, never as a substitute for one.
I'm continually studying everything from sports nutrition and metabolic health to nutrigenomics and biochemistry, so the guidance you get stays current rather than generic — grounded in how your specific body responds, not a one-size-fits-all protocol.

Education first

You leave every consultation understanding the "why," not just a meal plan to follow blindly.

Sustainable habits

Extreme caloric restriction is avoided except in specific, supervised circumstances — the goal is a way of eating you can keep.

Built for independence

Grocery shopping and cooking skills are part of the program, so the results outlast the coaching relationship.

Pricing

Straightforward, per-session rates

No packages to decode. You pay for what you use, and combine services as your plan calls for it.

Service	Duration	Rate
Muscle Activation Technique	1 hour	$135
Strength Training	1 hour	$100
Private Pilates	50 minutes	$119
Private Pilates	30 minutes	$75
Weekly 3-Day Split Program	1 hour	$70
Nutrition Consultation	45 minutes	$70

A weekly service fee applies on top of session rates, covering membership, travel, and equipment costs. Exact totals are confirmed during your free consultation.

Client Results

Documented transformations

Real clients, tracked over real training periods. Photos are shared with permission.

[Before/After — Jeff Roberts]

Jeff Roberts

Nov 29, 2016 – Feb 20, 2017 · ~3 months

Progress tracked across a focused training block combining strength work with movement correction.

3-Month Transformation

[Before/After — Shahar Goldin]

Shahar Goldin

Jan 20, 2019 – Jun 17, 2019 · ~5 months

Progress tracked across an extended training block building strength and movement quality over time.

5-Month Transformation

Questions

Frequently asked questions

MAT is a revolutionary approach to assessing and correcting the muscular imbalances and joint instability that lead to pain, dysfunction, and limited mobility. It's a non-invasive technique designed to balance the muscular system so it can function with maximum efficiency, whether that's day-to-day activity or strenuous exercise. Unlike most modalities, MAT focuses on the cause of the pain rather than just the symptoms — which is what makes it such a powerful and effective tool.

MAT helps athletes at any level prevent injuries, speeds up recovery from existing injuries, and alleviates the adverse effects of injured, tired, and overused muscles — all of which translates into improved athletic performance.

MAT is a solution for anyone who has suffered from a recent injury, chronic pain, or a lack of range of motion. It has helped clients with back and hip pain, knee pain, shoulder pain, rheumatoid arthritis, tendonitis, sprains and strains, sciatica, "runner's knee," and tennis elbow — if it involves moving your body, MAT can help you do it better.

MAT identifies individual muscles that have "shut off" through specific range-of-motion testing, then activates them directly. Corrective Exercise blends somatics, Pilates, and physical-therapy-based movement to build efficient neuromuscular patterns more broadly. Many clients use both together.

No. Rey holds a Comprehensive Classical Pilates certification through FFC in Chicago, trained under Romana-trained instructor Linda Spriggs, and also studied contemporary mat Pilates through Cornish College of the Arts. Pilates is taught as a full-body workout and a movement philosophy — the equipment is only half the formula; building control through every joint and reducing compensation patterns is the other half. Sessions are built around your current level, whatever that is.

Strength is the base for all muscle growth and physical capability. Sessions focus on building functional strength safely and efficiently, geared toward your physique or maintenance goals. Workouts are organized by movement type — throughout the week you'll squat, hinge, lunge, push, pull, and carry — to build long-term functional strength.

Sessions run out of FFC in Old Town, Chicago, or in-home for clients who prefer it. We'll confirm the right setup during your free consultation.

Each service is billed per session at the rates listed above, plus a weekly service fee covering membership, travel, and equipment. There's no long-term package to commit to upfront.

Yes. Nutrition consultations run as a standalone 9–10 week program covering assessment, macronutrient education, grocery shopping, and cooking skills — no training package required.

Book a free 30-minute consultation using the form below. We'll talk through your goals and figure out which services make sense to start with.

Transform your body through movement, balance & mindfulness