Diet and fitness trends will never fail to find their way on social media. The 75 Hard challenge is one of the many trends online. It has been talked about by numerous people on social media, with some going to the extent of showing before-and-after results.
However, is what you see online really as good as it seems? 75 Hard is known to be one of the most grueling and rigid transformative plans. Let’s take a look at what it’s about, the rules, and whether there are any benefits to trying it.
Key Takeaways
- Designed by Andy Frisella, the 75 Hard challenge aims to transform both mental and physical discipline through 5 daily tasks for 75 consecutive days.
- Completing the challenge can improve accountability, discipline, and mental toughness while also supporting physical fitness, weight loss, and habit-building.
- The main concern is the extreme rules that can lead to overexertion, injury, burnout, water overload, disordered eating, and mental stress.
- For those who want similar benefits without extreme intensity, 75 Soft allows one workout per day, rest days, occasional cheat meals, and a more sustainable approach to building healthy habits.
- Instead of extreme challenges, consistent, balanced eating, regular exercise, and tracking tools like the Eato app can help achieve fitness goals sustainably.
What Is the 75 Hard Challenge?
According to Andy Frisella, the creator behind the 75 Hard challenge, it is meant to be a transformative mental toughness program [1].
It doesn’t just help with physical transformation but also with mental transformation. It is designed to help you take control of your nutrition, fitness, and overall mindset towards life within 75 days.
While the rules are simple, it is highly demanding in a way that guarantees huge results.
75-Hard Challenge Rules
On Andy Frisella’s website, he states that five strict rules must be followed, every single day for 75 days [2]. Here are the rules for those who are planning to follow the challenge.
1. Follow a strict diet
Your diet can be anything as long as it meets the goals that you are trying to achieve. It could be a carnivore diet, keto diet, a paleo diet, a Mediterranean diet, a vegetarian diet, OMAD diet, or an Atkins diet, for example.
However, while being on your chosen diet, you’ll need to practice discipline. For 75 days, you are not allowed to have any cheat meals. Nor make any excuses or exceptions as to why you are unable to follow the nutrition plan you’ve set.
For most people, this can be extremely hard to follow. After all, life sometimes can get in the way of things, or we may fall sick unexpectedly. However, Andy’s rationale is that by being able to stick to it completely, you will regain a sense of control over your life decisions.
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During the 75 days, you are expected to complete two workouts every day, with each workout lasting for 45 minutes.
The full requirement is for both workouts to last for a minimum of 45 minutes. One of which has to be done outdoors. There must also be a 3-hour gap between the two workouts.
Again, it doesn’t matter what type of workout you choose, as long as you get it done. Regardless of the weather or circumstances that you are in, it has to be completed daily. Otherwise, you will have to restart the challenge from the beginning.
The purpose of this is to help you understand that you can influence the outcome of a situation by acting on it despite the obstacles you may face. Doing so will eventually help you to get things done and avoid making excuses for why you can’t.
3. Drink a gallon of water daily
Another thing you should also remember to do is to drink water and stay hydrated. While on the challenge, you are expected to drink a gallon of water every day. Water is generally good for your physical and mental health. Two-thirds of our bodies are made up of water, so drinking sufficient water is beneficial for us.
4. Read 10 pages of a book
For the 4th task that you must complete, it is to read a minimum of 10 pages of any book each day. The only thing to note is that the book must either be non-fiction or educational in content. It has to be useful in helping you to improve a part of your life.
You must read the books, either in a physical copy or an e-book copy. Audiobooks do not count.
The idea behind this is that it is a part of the healthy habits that will help to sharpen your skill sets and improve your lifestyle.
5. Take a progress picture of yourself
Last but not least is to take daily progress photos of yourself. After coming so far into the challenge, you want to be able to look back on how you started and see how far you’ve come since.
At the beginning of the challenge, you might have struggled with feeling secure and confident in the way you look and feel. Taking a photo of yourself throughout your journey teaches you the importance of the small details. No matter if they may seem small or insignificant at that time.
It allows you to see your growth and feel proud about taking your very first step towards self-improvement.
75 Hard Challenge Calendar with Free PDF Version
Doing the 75 Hard challenge can get overwhelming for some people when there isn’t a clear plan. It’s why it’s important to have a calendar or a visual tracker to help you check off all your daily tasks and keep you accountable.
All you need to do is get a calendar and create 5 checkboxes for each day. The 5 checkboxes indicate the 5 tasks that you will have to complete.
You can simply list each checkbox as such:
- Followed diet (no cheat meals, alcohol)
- Workouts completed
- Drink 1 gallon (3.79 l) of water
- Read 10 pages
- Daily progress photo
To make it even easier, we’ve created a free printable PDF version of the calendar here. You can download it, print it, and hang it somewhere you’ll see every day.
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Download Eato For FreeBenefits of Doing the 75 Hard Challenge
The primary benefit of undertaking this challenge is that it enables you to develop mental toughness. It is designed in such a highly rigid manner whereby if you fail to complete one task, you’d have to start all over again. But with a rule like this, it teaches you what it means to be resilient and accountable for everything that you do in your life.
Other than this, it also helps with personal growth, to improve your physical fitness, and helps with weight loss if that is your goal.
Risks of Doing the 75 Hard Challenge
Overexertion and a lack of sustainability during and after the 75 days are two of the main risks that you may face when attempting the challenge. The rigorous exercises daily, especially for those who start with little to no regular exercise background, can be quite dangerous and lead to serious injuries due to the lack of recovery time.
It’s also highly unsustainable when you consider how extreme the rules are. Some people may choose to put themselves through extreme diets, which can lead to nutrition deficiencies, disordered eating patterns, or even burnout from everything. Not to mention, other risks like water overload, mental stress, and fostering an unhealthy mentality towards diet and fitness should be taken into consideration.
Who should not do the 75 Hard Challenge?
Generally, individuals with a history of chronic health conditions, eating disorders, nutrient deficiencies, kidney problems, and those who tend to injure themselves frequently should avoid doing this challenge.
75 Hard vs. 75 Soft: The Differences
The 75 Hard challenge is more or less known for its intensity and strict rules. The issue is, not everyone can complete this sustainably. So, that’s where an alternative comes in. 75 Soft is a more balanced and flexible alternative to the 75 Hard.
Although both goals are to cultivate healthier habits, they differ in terms of their structure, rules, and intensity.
For 75 Soft, instead of two workouts, you only need to do one per day. You’re also allowed to have occasional cheat meals or treats. You are also allowed to include rest days and prevent yourself from over-exerting yourself unnecessarily.
The Final Takeaway: Is It Really About Building Mental Toughness?
While the desired outcome is to build mental toughness, it may not be the healthiest or the most sustainable way to achieve this. It can actually do more harm than good, considering how you are supposed to complete your tasks even if you are dealing with a horrible life circumstance. You’re more likely to encounter feelings of frustration and discouragement while doing this.
Instead of opting to do challenges that are not scientifically backed, you can always opt to form better eating habits and reach your desired physique with Eato.
The Eato app is designed in a way that helps you to log meals efficiently, calibrate your nutrition and fitness plan based on your desired health outcome. It’s not only simple to use, but it also comes with a number of free features. Try it now!
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