Professional Credential · Level 1–3
You already have a certification. This is the one that makes you different.
MovNat Level 1 teaches the practical movement skills your current credential doesn’t cover — and it counts toward your NASM, NCSF, or AFAA continuing education.
Approved for CEUs by NASM, NCSF (7 CEUs), and AFAA
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In-person practical immersion
MovNat Level 1, 2 and 3 Certifications are approved for continuing education by NCSF, NASM and AFAA. NCSF grants 7 CEUs per level. For NASM and AFAA, certification testing is completed separately and is not part of the CEU content.
You're likely due for recertification anyway. This is the one that also makes you different.
Field Assessment · Ground & Balance
Level 1 Immersion
What your certification taught you, and what it didn't
Every good certification goes deep on something. Kettlebell certifications teach one implement better than anyone. Flow systems teach ground control and sequencing to a standard most trainers never reach. That depth is real, and it’s worth having.
MovNat starts somewhere else: the movement patterns underneath all of it, and what happens when the equipment isn’t there.
Getting up off the ground. Lifting and carrying awkward, uneven loads. Climbing, balancing, crawling, jumping. Moving over terrain that isn’t a gym floor. A full progression for each one, from a client who can’t rise unassisted to an athlete refining technique.
Your clients don’t live in a gym, and most of them don’t own a bell. This is the part of their week you currently can’t program for.
It doesn't replace what you already do. It's the layer above it.
Traditional Siloed Certifications
Constrained by engineered environments, standard planes of motion, and singular equipment formats.
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Implement-bound (dumbbells, barbells, single bell arcs) -
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Flat, predictable surfaces (rubber gym flooring, wood platforms) -
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Symmetric, balanced loads with rigid lever points -
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Low real-life carryover to uneven surfaces and survival tasks
MovNat Foundational Architecture
The fundamental universal movement grammar underpinning all functional athletic expressions.
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Ground transfers, quadrupedal crawling, and natural locomotion -
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Complex, irregular terrain (fallen logs, rock scrambles, narrow beams) -
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Awkward real-world lifting, odd object carrying, climbing, vaulting -
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Adaptable to any client from deconditioned elders to elite tactical operators
The credentials that survive the next five years
AI has permanently reset the baseline for program design. Apps now generate personalised, adaptive programming and adjust it against biometric data in real time. The value of writing a workout has collapsed, and it isn’t coming back.
What doesn’t commoditise is the part that happens in a room: watching how someone actually moves, correcting technique by eye and by hand, coaching a skill that has to be practised rather than prescribed.
MovNat’s own industry analysis puts generalist certifications at high AI vulnerability with an income ceiling around $40–60k, and stacked, specialised credentials at low vulnerability with a ceiling of $80–200k+. Trainers holding specialised certifications command rates 20–50% higher than those with generalist credentials alone.
"A certification built entirely on in-person, physical skill is the least automatable thing in this industry."
Generalist CPT Credential
High AI Vulnerability
$40k – $60k
Annual income ceiling
Vulnerable to automated digital programming, routine counting, and commoditized algorithm apps.
Specialized MovNat Coach
Low AI Vulnerability
$80k – $200k+
Income potential
+20–50% higher hourly rate. In-person tactile authority, real-time biomechanical intervention, and irreducible physical coaching.
Built for working coaches & serious practitioners
Personal Trainers & Strength Coaches
Coaches holding an existing credential looking to add genuine movement differentiation, solve chronic client mobility deficits, and stand out in saturated markets.
Physical Therapists & Rehab Pros
Bridging the clinical gap between table treatment and real-world functional capacity, gait integrity, and full weight-bearing ground competence.
Specialty Instructors
Movement screen evaluators, kettlebell coaches, and flow-system practitioners adding a foundational, environmental framework to their primary discipline.
Outdoor Coaches & Dedicated Movers
Tactical leaders, trail runners, and serious practitioners pursuing deep physical capability, competence in natural environments, and true physical autonomy.
Three Experience Pathways Available: Certification (for coaches wanting credentials & testing), Participation (for practitioners taking the full immersion without exam), and Skills Workshops.
Level 1 — The Foundation
Ground movement, mobility, and the practical skills that rebuild strength: getting up, crawling, deep squatting, lifting, carrying, throwing. You leave able to teach the full beginner progression and meet the Level 1 physical standards.
Level 2 — The Next Level
More demanding technique across the same skill families, plus a deeper model of how movement is assessed and progressed. Prepares you for capable athletes as well as beginners with advanced jumping, vaulting, and complex terrain adaptions.
Level 3 — The Elite Level
The full system at the standard expected of MovNat's most experienced instructors. High-consequence environmental navigation, full physical mastery, deep coaching pedagogy, and rigorous physical efficiency exams.
What it involves
2.5 days intensive practical field coaching and skill breakdown.
Early bird savings and flexible 3-part installment plans available.
Directly recognized by NCSF, NASM, and AFAA for full renewal.
Held year-round across North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia.
Open to working trainers, coaches, and committed movers alike.
Fifteen years as the original Natural Movement certification
"I was a CSCS and kettlebell instructor for 8 years before taking MovNat Level 1. It fundamentally changed how I assess client gait, ground transfers, and joint integrity. It's the only CEU course I've taken that immediately increased my client retention and referral rates."
MV
Marcus V.
CSCS & MovNat Level 2 Certified Coach · Denver, CO
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to be in great shape to start?
No. MovNat Level 1 is designed specifically to meet practitioners where they are. While you will be moving actively across the weekend, every movement pattern is taught with regression ladders — allowing deconditioned participants to build competence safely alongside seasoned athletes.
Does this count toward my recertification?
Yes. MovNat Level 1, 2, and 3 are approved for continuing education by NCSF, NASM, and AFAA. NCSF grants 7.0 CEUs per level. NASM and AFAA recognize the immersion coursework directly for recertification CEUs. Testing is completed separately from CEU attendance credit.
I'm already certified in a specific method. Why add this?
Specialized methods (kettlebells, barbells, Olympic lifting) excel within their specific toolset. MovNat provides the universal bio-mechanical grammar underneath all tools: natural gait, complex terrain locomotion, ground transfers, and unstructured carries. It expands your coaching utility outside the gym floor.
Do I need equipment to coach this?
Not at all. You can coach MovNat entirely using bodyweight, natural terrain, floors, beams, or outdoor structures. If you operate inside an equipped facility, MovNat integrates seamlessly with boxes, pull-up bars, odd objects, and sandbags.
Is there an online option?
We provide preparatory online coursework and an Online Academy for theoretical study. However, official coaching certification credentials require in-person practical immersion to ensure tactile coaching competency, accurate movement assessment, and safety standards.
Where do certifications run?
Certifications take place worldwide year-round across major hubs in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, mainland Europe, Australia, and select wilderness retreat facilities in Central America. Check our active event calendar for current listings.