A Physical Therapist’s review of the 2021 Level 3 Certification Course at Glorietta Camps, New Mexico
By Nick Burroughs, Physical Therapist and Level 2 MovNat Certified Trainer
Since I’ve had a little over 2 months to let the recent L3 certification course experience to settle in, I wanted to write a little blurb about my perspective on how things went, highlights and what everyone should know about the infamous L3 Certification. My name is Nick Burroughs. I am a Physical Therapist and a MovNat enthusiast.
Ever since I cracked open The Practice of Natural Movement book in 2019, my life has taken a different trajectory. It showed me an avenue to fall in love with movement again, and I felt that the words of that book spoke directly to me (as well as many others). Immediately, with the help of the book and YouTube, I began my own MovNat practice, practically seeing immediate results in all aspects of fitness and well-being. My thinking was and still is, that if everyone developed a Natural Movement practice, the western world would have much less chronic disease and disability. In my practice as a physical therapist, I see patients everyday that are decimated by a life lacking of movement. So, discovering the book handed me a method to teach others the way to optimal health.
As I progressed with my practice, I decided to become both MovNat Level 1 and Level 2 Certified, which I obtained in October 2020 in Asheville, North Carolina. And boy, was I impressed with the quality of each course under the tutelage of MovNat Master Trainers Seth Budai and Nate Amado. The courses taught me the fundamentals of MovNat, and the best part about them is that they were both taught completely outdoors. The courses, with L2 being built upon L1, laid a solid foundation for the basics of each category of Natural Movement: ground movement, crawling, gait/running, climbing, getups, lifting/carrying, balancing and jumping. I was extremely impressed by the coaching segment of the L1 course, which taught the new MCT of the importance of being competent in their instruction to others. Again, I can’t emphasize enough of how much I learned at both of those courses in regards to movement technique and breakdown. Both courses were very rewarding.
So, if I were to summarize the difficulty level of the L1 to L2 competency levels, well, I would have to say that the L2 is about twice as difficult. The movements at the L2 level require much more strength and power to be proficient in, which is definitely obtainable with persistent training, perhaps under the guidance of an online MovNat Coach.
Fast forward to the Level 3 Certification this past September in New Mexico. After the high of becoming a Level 2 MovNat Certified Trainer and watching the video of the L3 experience, I signed up for L3 certification at the end of last year, not really knowing what to expect. I had a full 9 months to train for the L3, which in retrospect allowed me to learn all I could during my experience at Glorietta Camps. So, on Aug 31st, I flew into Albuquerque the day before the event, drove up to Santa Fe, met 2 of the fellow L3 candidates, and then the journey began.
So, where do I start? How do I describe what myself and the other L3 candidates went through? How do I do it justice?
First of all, the 3 coaches (Danny Clark, Nate Smith and Nate Amado) that ran the certification were just solid all around. Great instruction, great encouragement with great insight and understanding. It was just a blast hanging out and conversing with them for the 4 days. Also, I found a connection with each of the other 7 candidates present, hailing from all around the U.S. We were a true cast of characters, all sharing the love of Natural Movement. And yes, I absolutely learned a lot from each of them and one of the most rewarding experiences was just being part of an experience with other like minded people (movement nerds that like to walk around barefoot).
We had a lot of laughs balanced with some serious movement time, and in the end, all of us definitely became a tribe, especially after the morning of the 4th day. I would love to give more details on specific events and tasks. But you know what they say: what happens at L3 stays at L3!
I’ll be honest. The videos online of the L3 experience do not do it justice.
During the certification, I was not only tested in my movement capacity, but in my perseverance, grit, mental strength, and confidence, probably more than I ever had been before. The certification took me out of my comfort zone and showed me that I was capable of much more in regards to my movement capacity. Every aspect of my character was put to the test and some movements I did ok with, and others, not so much. I would describe it as taking the basics of the MovNat curriculum, jacking up the intensity and complexity, and then sticking it in a true natural environment, the true essence of MovNat. To put it into perspective, I would say that the difference in difficulty from L2 to L3 is 5 times the difference from L1 to L2. Others might say different.
It was an extremely humbling experience and I have no doubt that I am a better person for just enduring the 4 days. My overall impression after all was said and done is that the L3 certification is the real deal! I now understand why it is the pinnacle of the MovNat Certification System. I will sound cliché when I say this, but it is an experience that I will never forget.
So, if you think you have good balance, sign up for the L3. If you take pride in your strong crawling skills, sign up for the L3. If you want your jumping and climbing skills to be tested, sign up for the L3. If you want to take your MovNat skills to the next level with great informative instruction, sign up for the L3. If you want an incredible Natural Movement immersive experience, something that will affect you profoundly both physically and mentally, sign up for the L3. If you want to challenge and strengthen all aspects of your being, sign up for the L3.
The best thing about it is that you have a lifetime to submit videos of any of the movement competencies you perhaps failed at the course.
Looking back, I still pinch myself saying ‘Yes Nick, you really went through that’.
And came out a much better person for doing so.
Note: Click here to read more about Nick’s amazing transformation with Natural Movement.
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