EPX3
EPX3 Tactical · Military, first responders, law enforcement

Train the people who protect us like elite athletes.

The job demands strength, endurance, good judgment and steady emotions, often on broken sleep and long stretches of sitting. Athletes get coaching, recovery planning and measurement. Many people in uniform get far less. EPX3 Tactical brings the same doctor-led program to them, and measures what changes.

Where we stand today. We have not yet run EPX3 with a military, fire, EMS or law enforcement group. This page shows how we would, and what the research does and does not show. EPX3 is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. Army, any branch of the military, or any agency. It is not mental-health treatment and does not replace your unit, department, chaplain, peer support or EAP.
The approach

Four kinds of energy, one weekly rhythm

We organize coaching around four parts of readiness: physical, emotional, mental and purpose. The Army's own Holistic Health and Fitness system uses a similar idea, with five domains (physical, mental, nutrition, sleep and spiritual).1 The coaching below is delivered by a physician-led team, one-on-one and in short weekly check-ins.

PhysicalShort movement breaks to interrupt long sitting, strength and mobility work, and practical nutrition guidance.5
Recovery and sleepA consistent schedule and wind-down routine, adapted for shift work, because fatigue is linked to worse safety outcomes.3
Mental and emotionalSlow-breathing practice for stress, plus coaching on focus and on recovering after hard shifts.4
Purpose and connectionA values and purpose exercise, and a habit of checking in with one other person. Purpose here means meaning, not a particular religion.
What the evidence shows

What helps, and what has not been shown

The Army tested a holistic model at scale

Encouraging, with caveats

What the studies show

An Army evaluation compared 56 matched brigades, 28 with embedded performance teams and 28 without, from 2019 through 2023. Brigades with the teams reported lower odds of musculoskeletal-injury referrals and better fitness-test and marksmanship results.2

How EPX3 uses it

It supports the idea that coaching across several domains, delivered close to the people being served, can work. It shapes the weekly rhythm above.

The honest limit

The Army ran this evaluation itself, it was not randomized, and the authors disclose the Army's interest in the result. Its estimate of financial return is not one we borrow, and we make no return promise.

Resilience training has mixed results

Mixed

What the studies show

In a randomized trial of firefighters, a brief resilience-training program did not show a reduction in PTSD at follow-up.6 RAND reviewed the literature and interviewed program leaders on first-responder and law-enforcement wellness programs.7

How EPX3 uses it

We do not present a one-time class as a fix. We design for weekly contact over 13 weeks and measure results rather than assume them.

The honest limit

A short course is unlikely to change much on its own. EPX3 does not claim to prevent or treat PTSD, depression or any other condition.

Sleep and fatigue are safety issues

Associated

What the studies show

Poor sleep and fatigue among EMS providers were associated with worse safety outcomes.3 Our broader sleep and sitting research is on the Research page.

How EPX3 uses it

Sleep coaching is part of the program and is built around a consistent schedule, adapted to rotating shifts as far as the job allows.

The honest limit

This is an association. Many first-responder schedules cannot be changed, so we coach what a person can control. Anyone with a sleep disorder is referred to their own physician.

Slow breathing helps with stress in small studies

Modest, small studies

What the studies show

A meta-analysis of 24 small studies found that heart-rate-variability biofeedback, which is paced breathing guided by heart-rate feedback, was associated with a large reduction in self-reported stress and anxiety.4

How EPX3 uses it

The portal includes a guided three-minute slow-breathing tool and a weekly practice planner.

The honest limit

The studies were small and varied, and the effect is on self-reported stress. This is a self-care skill, not treatment, and it is not a substitute for care after trauma.

How a pilot would work

Voluntary, private, and measured

13 weeksBaseline measures, weekly coaching and accountability, and a re-measure at week 13. Fitness, longest unbroken sitting bout, sleep regularity, and self-reported energy and pain.
Group results onlyLeadership sees results only for groups of ten or more. No individual's entries, and no individual's scores, are shown to command, a chief or an employer.
Not a fitness-for-duty toolNothing in EPX3 is used for hiring, promotion, discipline or fitness-for-duty decisions. Participation is voluntary.
If you or someone you know is struggling. Call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline). Veterans and service members can call 988 and press 1. In an emergency, call 911. EPX3 does not monitor your entries and is not a crisis service.

Talk with us about a Tactical pilot

A free 30-minute conversation about a 13-week pilot for a unit, station or department. We start with the evidence, and we measure what changes.

Book a 30-minute callRead the research
References

The sources on this page

  1. U.S. Army. Holistic Health and Fitness (H2F). h2f.army.mil. Describes the five domains: physical, mental, nutrition, sleep and spiritual.
  2. Evaluation of embedded H2F performance teams across 56 matched brigades, fiscal years 2019 to 2023 (return-on-investment analysis). Sports Med. 2026. PubMed 41678032. Army-directed evaluation, not randomized.
  3. Patterson PD, Weaver MD, Frank RC, et al. Association between poor sleep, fatigue, and safety outcomes in emergency medical services providers. Prehosp Emerg Care. 2012;16(1):86-97. doi:10.3109/10903127.2011.616261
  4. Goessl VC, Curtiss JE, Hofmann SG. The effect of heart rate variability biofeedback training on stress and anxiety: a meta-analysis. Psychol Med. 2017;47(15):2578-2586. doi:10.1017/S0033291717001003
  5. Movement, sitting, nutrition and fitness evidence, with limits: see The Research, sections 1 to 7.
  6. Skeffington PM, Rees CS, Mazzucchelli TG, Kane RT. The primary prevention of PTSD in firefighters: preliminary results of an RCT with 12-month follow-up. PLoS One. 2016;11(7):e0155873. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0155873
  7. RAND Corporation. First responder and law enforcement mental health and wellness programs (literature review and interviews). rand.org, RRA2268-1