The program · How it works
A lot of veteran support programs give you one piece: a gym membership, a counselor, a support group. WarriorWOD runs three at once for 26 weeks. Warriors train, work with a Nutrition Coach, and lean on a Battle Buddy who already finished. Every month we check PTSD symptoms and safety, and an outside university checked the results.
The model
WarriorWOD Foundation combines exercise, nutrition, and peer mentorship in a research-backed, results-driven six-month recovery program for US military veterans living with post-traumatic stress, suicidal ideation, and substance misuse.
Each part has its own research behind it. We put them in the same six months because each one makes the other two easier to keep doing.
Three workouts a week take energy. Coaching on what you eat gives you the energy to train and recover between sessions.
Someone who finished the same workouts notices when you skip a week, and texts you about it.
Small food changes are easier to keep when a peer is checking in every week and a coach is adjusting the plan.
The Monthly Survey tracks PTSD symptoms and safety, so the plan changes when the numbers do.
Aerobic training regulates the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, promotes BDNF production, and reduces neurobiological hyperarousal: the three mechanisms driving most PTSD symptom clusters.
The Warrior’s part: three workouts a week at a gym they pick, scaled to them.
Omega-3 fatty acids reduce the neuroinflammation linked to both PTSD and depression. Anti-inflammatory diets lower cortisol dysregulation. Stable blood glucose supports the executive function that veterans lose to hypervigilance.
The Warrior’s part: 24 one-on-one sessions with a certified Nutrition Coach.
Battle Buddies are US military veterans who completed the WarriorWOD six-month program, so this is peer support for veterans from people who finished it. All are trained in VA S.A.V.E. suicide prevention.
The Warrior’s part: a text every week, a call every two weeks, face to face monthly if they live close.
WarriorWOD is non-clinical mental health support for veterans. It works alongside a Warrior’s therapist, doctor, or VA care and never replaces them.
For veterans · Week by week
Your whole Warrior Class starts on the same day and graduates on the same day. Here’s a normal week, and what happens from application to graduation.
We review every application. As your Warrior Class gets close, we call you. You sign the program agreement and finish intake: PCL-5, C-SSRS, a health and nutrition baseline, and an InBody scan. You list your current providers so we can coordinate. We set up your gym and match you with your Battle Buddy and Nutrition Coach.
Your class starts together. You begin the 12 orientation modules and set one goal you’d bet a friend on.
Train, eat, connect, report honestly. Your coach starts from what you eat now and adds small habits. Your first Monthly Survey comes at the end of month one.
You sit down with your Program Director, look at your numbers, and adjust the plan for the second half.
This is where people drift, and where your Battle Buddy matters most. Fall below a requirement and you get a call and a written Notice of Concern with time to fix it. Real-life situations get a Grace Plan.
Final review, final Monthly Survey, and a second InBody scan. You don’t have to be fixed. You have to have walked the 26 weeks.
We check in at 30, 60, and 90 days after graduation. Graduates can come back as a Battle Buddy for the next class.
“WarriorWOD taught me that I’m capable of overcoming my mental barriers. The program’s support has empowered me to believe in myself again. The mentorship and community have been pillars in my mental health recovery.”
–Victoria P.
For veterans · Your corner
A certified Nutrition Coach works with you one-on-one for 24 sessions. They start from what you eat now and build small habits from there. Nobody hands you a diet and walks away.
A US military veteran who completed WarriorWOD and is trained in VA S.A.V.E. suicide prevention. You’re matched during onboarding, before Kickoff. They aren’t a therapist, a coach, or a veterans support group. They sat where you’re sitting and finished. It’s veterans helping veterans, one on one.
Finished the program? Read about the Battle Buddy volunteer role.
Measurement protocol
WarriorWOD measures PTSD outcomes using the PCL-5 (PTSD Checklist for DSM-5) and C-SSRS (Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale), both validated instruments used by the VA and DoD, administered at intake and every month throughout the six-month program. Every Warrior ends up with a monthly record, not a single before-and-after snapshot.
A score that goes up one month isn’t failure. Doing the work can stir things up before they settle, and the coach and Battle Buddy adjust the plan. A yes on the safety screen never costs a Warrior their spot.
For veterans
Leave your email and you’ll hear from us the day applications reopen. Read what the program asks of you first.
For donors and funders · The evidence
The research existed before we did. We built the program to match it. Here is the study behind each part, what it found, and how the Warrior Class puts it to work.
An umbrella review in the British Journal of Sports Medicine pooled 97 systematic reviews covering 1,039 trials and 128,119 adults. Physical activity improved depression, anxiety, and distress, and the authors reported it was about 1.5 times as effective as counseling or leading medications.
How we apply it: three workouts a week for 26 weeks, scaled to each Warrior.
Singh B, et al. Br J Sports Med. 2023;57:1203-1209.
Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Chan School studied 191 women in the Nurses’ Health Study II. Higher PTSD symptom levels went with less adherence to a Mediterranean-style diet and with differences in the gut microbiome.
How we apply it: 24 one-on-one sessions that build anti-inflammatory eating habits.
Ke S, et al. Nature Mental Health. 2023;1:900-913.
Veterans with peer mentors show 35% greater PTSD symptom reduction and 27% less depression than those without. Trust built on shared experience is the mechanism.
How we apply it: every Warrior gets a Battle Buddy who already graduated, trained in VA S.A.V.E.
Tsai et al. (2016), Psychiatric Services.
For donors and funders · Independent evaluation
An independent evaluation by the College of Charleston (Dr. Katie Trejo Tello, Ph.D., grant SCTR CES-P UM1TR005294) found a statistically significant 14.42-point reduction in PCL-5 PTSD scores among WarriorWOD program completers (pre: 43.37, post: 28.95; p<.001, Cohen’s d=1.33, n=21 matched pairs). Post-program scores fell below the 31 to 33 clinical threshold for probable PTSD.
For donors and funders · 265 completers
Among 265 US military veterans who completed WarriorWOD’s six-month recovery program, overall PTSD symptom severity declined 38.25% across all four DSM-5 clusters: Avoidance 35.39%, Hyperarousal 39.66%, Negative Alterations in Cognition 40.38%, Intrusive Re-experiencing 36.33%.
Delivered in 38+ states across 12 Warrior Classes. See the full independently verified outcomes.
For funders · Theory of change
$1,500 per veteran in donor funding. Gym memberships. Certified Nutrition Coaches. VA S.A.V.E.-trained Battle Buddies. Program staff. An independent evaluator.
Three workouts a week for 26 weeks. 24 nutrition sessions. Weekly Battle Buddy texts and calls every two weeks. Monthly PCL-5 and C-SSRS. Reviews at Weeks 13 and 26.
265 veterans have completed the full program, across 12 Warrior Classes in 38+ states. Every Warrior has a monthly clinical record.
A 14.42-point PCL-5 reduction, independently verified. 38.25% lower overall PTSD severity. 90.4% of completers improve. Substance use down 15%.
The average Warrior finishes below the clinical PTSD threshold. All 9 who entered with suicidal ideation are alive. Graduates return as Battle Buddies for the next class.
Questions · Veterans and supporters
Straight answers for veterans thinking about the Warrior Class and for the people who fund it.
WarriorWOD’s veteran support programs combine exercise, nutrition coaching, and peer mentorship in one six-month program for US military veterans. Each Warrior Class starts and graduates together over 26 weeks. In practice, that means three workouts a week, 24 nutrition sessions, and a Battle Buddy who already finished, with PTSD symptoms and safety checked every month.
The Warrior Class is for US military veterans living with PTSD, suicidal ideation, or substance misuse who can take part in structured fitness, scaled to their level. You also need to commit to the full 26 weeks and the monthly check-ins. Read what the program asks of you before you apply.
Accepted Warriors pay nothing. Each veteran’s six months costs $1,500, and donors cover all of it: gym membership, nutrition coaching, programming, InBody scans, and Battle Buddy support. As a result, money is never the reason a veteran can’t start.
A Battle Buddy is a US military veteran who completed the WarriorWOD program and is trained in VA S.A.V.E. suicide prevention. They text you every week, call every two weeks, and meet face to face once a month if you live close. They aren’t a therapist. Instead, they’re someone who sat where you’re sitting and finished.
No. WarriorWOD is non-clinical mental health support for veterans, and it works alongside your therapist, doctor, or VA care. At intake you list your current providers so we can coordinate. If a monthly safety screen comes back yes, a staff member calls within 24 hours. In a crisis, dial 988, then press 1.
Every Warrior completes the PCL-5 (PTSD symptoms) and the C-SSRS (suicide risk) at intake and every month after. An InBody scan runs at intake and graduation. Your Program Director reviews your numbers at Weeks 13 and 26. After graduation, we check in at 30, 60, and 90 days.
Dr. Katie Trejo Tello of the College of Charleston found a 14.42-point drop in PCL-5 scores among program completers, from 43.37 to 28.95 (p<.001, Cohen’s d=1.33, n=21 matched pairs). Scores fell below the 31 to 33 clinical threshold. The study was funded by SCTR grant CES-P UM1TR005294, not WarriorWOD, and peer review is pending.
Among 265 veterans who completed the full six months, overall PTSD severity dropped 38.25% across all four symptom clusters, and 90.4% saw their symptoms go down. Substance use fell 15%. All 9 veterans who entered with suicidal ideation are alive today. The program has run in 38+ states across 12 Warrior Classes.
A $22 monthly gift adds up to $264 a year toward a Warrior’s gym, coaching, and Battle Buddy. Six Warrior Supporters at $22 a month fund one veteran’s complete six-month recovery each year. If you’d rather fund a whole Warrior yourself, $125 a month covers one complete recovery.
Yes. WarriorWOD Foundation is a 501(c)(3), EIN 87-1065126. Funders can request the full College of Charleston evaluation, monthly outcome data, and the itemized $1,500 per-veteran budget through foundation and grant inquiries.
Not yet. The next Warrior Class is full, so applications are paused. Leave your email and you’ll hear from us the day applications reopen. Meanwhile, if you need support today, dial 988, then press 1.
You may not have been in the fight, but you can be on the team. Join the monthly donors funding the next 265 recoveries.
NO ONE FIGHTS ALONE.
