MovNat

MovNat is the certification and coaching organization behind Natural Movement, a health and fitness discipline built on practical human movement skills. It serves two kinds of learner: fitness professionals who want to teach the method to individuals or groups, and people who want to learn it for themselves through workshops, retreats or self-paced e-courses at home. The FAQ describes MovNat as "the official coaching method, fitness program and certification system developed by Erwan Le Corre for Natural Movement", and says Le Corre defined and popularized Natural Movement as early as 2008. The home page pitches the whole offer as a simple system to rebuild strength, mobility and real-world fitness, with no gym needed.

What Natural Movement covers

The FAQ lists the skills the discipline takes in: breathing, ground movement, walking, running, jumping, vaulting, balancing, moving on all fours, climbing, swimming and related aquatic skills, lifting, carrying, throwing, catching, and self-defense skills such as striking and grappling. That breadth is the point of the method. MovNat sets itself apart from bodyweight training and calisthenics by including manipulative skills that work against an external weight, such as lifting, carrying, throwing and catching, and it traces its roots to the "Methode Naturelle" of the French physical education pioneer Georges Hebert.

The approach rests on efficiency. The FAQ argues that "natural" does not automatically mean efficient: everyone can breathe, but few people are aware of and in control of their breath, and the same holds for every other movement ability. That is the case MovNat makes for working with a coach. In the FAQ's words, "Learning from a knowledgeable trainer will help you realize your inefficiencies, and solve them through mindful, but also supervised practice."

Scalability comes up again and again. Asked whether the method suits someone who is out of shape, older than 40 or without any experience, the FAQ answers yes and walks through the broad jump: a beginner first learns landing mechanics at floor level, then progressively increases volume, intensity or complexity, and "you will never be pushed to do anything you are not physically ready for." The same page says most sessions include episodes of high-intensity training for metabolic conditioning, so the practice is not only slow technique work.

Nature is optional. According to the FAQ, MovNat "is taught every day around the world indoors", and a student may train balance on a simple board on a gym floor instead of a fallen tree in the woods. Training outdoors is described as the purest form of the practice and good for physical and mental health, but not a requirement. Indoors, the FAQ adds, gives scalability, variety and safety in a small area, and it helps when the weather is bad.

Existing training does not have to stop. Many of MovNat's certified trainers, the FAQ says, blend the method into their regular classes, and kettlebell work becomes part of the manipulative side of the practice. For athletes in highly specialized sports, the FAQ presents the variety of movements as a way to reduce imbalances and help prevent injuries. For people coming back from an injury, it says the method is not a replacement for therapy but works well alongside it, and that some therapists are MovNat certified trainers themselves.

Certifications for trainers

Certification is MovNat's main professional product. The home page calls it "the most established movement course you can find anywhere" and says it is for people who want to teach MovNat to others or develop their own movement practice to its fullest capacity. There are three levels, and the events section has separate listings for Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 certifications. The Level 1 and Level 2 certification workshops each run two and a half days, and the home page says they let participants learn to teach Natural Movement professionally to individuals or groups. Non-candidate participants are welcome to join as well, so someone can take the workshop for the learning without going for the credential.

Beyond the public workshops, the site offers a Fully Private Certification and a renewal option for existing MovNat Certified Trainers (MCT). Trainers carry the MCT title by level, which shows up in the testimonials on the press page ("Level 1 MCT", "Level 3 MCT").

Continuing education is the detail fitness professionals will look for first. The home page states that MovNat Level 1, 2 and 3 Certifications are approved for CEUs by NCSF, NASM and AFAA. For NCSF, each of the three levels qualifies for 7 CEUs. For NASM and AFAA, the page notes that certification testing is not part of the CEU content and is completed separately. A trainer who already holds one of those credentials can therefore earn CEUs with that body through a MovNat level, while the MovNat test itself stays a separate step.

The curriculum has a named owner. The team page lists Brian Betancourt as Director of Curriculum & Performance, an exercise physiologist with over a decade of experience coaching athletes and designing educational systems, who is responsible for evolving MovNat's instructional framework, certification pathways and benchmark systems.

Workshops, retreats and the instructor team

The About page names workshops and affiliate gyms as "the foundation of learning MovNat", where students practice in a safe and controlled environment. Besides the certification events, the events section lists an Intro 3-Hour Workshop and an Elements 1-Day Workshop, two shorter formats than the certification weekends, and a Trainer's Map sits under the site's tools.

Retreats are the most immersive option. The home page describes "a multiple-day MovNat Retreat in paradisiac locations like Cagliari or Tulum", where participants train in nature with like-minded people.

The instructor team is international. Founder Erwan Le Corre heads the team page, followed by Team Instructors listed in the USA, South America, the UK, Europe and Japan. Scott Southworth coaches at his own studio in Houston, Ryan McGowan runs a fitness business in Warwick, RI, and Gaspard Nouaille, described as MovNat's newest Teaching Instructor, will lead workshops in Bordeaux, France, with plans to expand into Paris and Quebec. Two Team Instructors, Ai Hotta and Kento Imaeda, are listed in Japan.

Online courses and e-books

For learners who cannot travel to a workshop, MovNat runs a separate e-course site with "a full catalog of E-Courses", which the home page presents as a way to learn and practice Natural Movement at your own pace, on your own schedule, and from home. The same page mentions "cost-saving E-Course Bundles and Online Academy Memberships", and the site's Learn menu adds the Online Academy, e-books and a shop. A free email newsletter, True Nature, sends weekly content and news from the community. The main site publishes no prices for certifications, workshops, retreats or e-courses, so cost is something to check on the event listings and the e-course site.

Press and what trainers say

The press page quotes coverage from Men's Health, Outside, The Washington Post and Resurgance. Testimonials come from certified trainers. Karina Stuke, a Level 1 MCT and health coach, says the method has "opened up a world of new business opportunities" for her. Dr. Steve Politis, DPT and Level I MCT, says MovNat "has been great to incorporate into my rehab practice and strength training", including his work with rugby athletes. Richard Michael Lee, a Level 1 MCT who also lists NASM credentials, says MovNat is leading the way in breaking movements down "into simple and progressive steps".

The About page also points to research. It states, "A growing body of research supports its ability to improve strength, mobility, balance, coordination, and overall physical function", and links to a page on the research behind MovNat. Questions go to the contact email on every page, contact@movnat.com.

Who it suits

MovNat suits personal trainers, coaches and physical therapists who want a structured, progressive method to add to their practice, especially those who hold an NCSF, NASM or AFAA credential and can earn CEUs through the certification. The testimonials come from exactly this group: trainers adding MovNat to gym sessions, rehab work and coaching with athletes.

It also suits people who want to move better for its own sake. The FAQ is explicit that the method is for beginners, people over 40 and those with no experience, and the e-courses let them start at home before attending a workshop. Athletes in a single specialized sport are another target the FAQ names.

Two caveats. The trainer certification is built around in-person workshops of two and a half days for Levels 1 and 2, or a private certification, so it means travel or an arranged session rather than a fully online credential. And someone whose only goal is muscle size from machine-based training will find the method's priorities elsewhere, in practicality, adaptability and efficiency.