For two and a half weeks, FitOps camp candidates greet 6 a.m. with a routine of bird-dog stretches and light running, followed by any host of weight-training sessions—from deadlifts to squats to power cleans. Then comes a cooldown session of light stretching to help with recovery roupa de sumo.

It’s equal parts Parris Island and Barry’s Bootcamp, but the regimen, discipline, education, and camaraderie blend that FitOps provides is what most of these veterans have been seeking ever since their military careers came to an end—a return to normalcy.