Perhaps you’ve heard people at the office or gym talking about it, or seen your favorite wellness influencer promoting it on TikTok. Maybe you’ve even considered giving it a go yourself. I’m talking about the 75 Hard challenge that seems to be all over social media right now. But is this trendy (and intense) health and fitness challenge a must-do for fast-tracking your goals? And is it even a good idea? Here’s what the 75 Hard is all about—and what I have to say about it as a registered dietitian.
What is 75 Hard?
Described as a “Transformative Mental Toughness Program” by its creator, entrepreneur and business owner Andy Frisella, the 75 Hard was designed to help develop mental fortitude and discipline that “can permanently change your life.”
Focusing on diet and exercise, as well as on self-improvement and habit formation, the 75 Hard program claims to be much more than your typical fitness challenge. The program lays out a few strict rules to follow when it comes to exercise, diet, and lifestyle, and leaves the rest up to you. The idea is to follow those strict rules for 75 consecutive days to develop new habits, confidence, and self-esteem that’ll help you keep moving toward success in whatever form you seek.
The rules themselves are hardcore—but the real kicker is this: If you miss a day or break a rule…you have to start over on Day 1.
The Diet
The 75 Hard program does not detail what, how much, or when to eat…only that you pick a structured diet plan and stick to it. Want to do keto? Great. Prefer a high-carb plan to fuel your activity? That’s fine, too. You get to pick the plan that best suits your body and needs. However, you must drink one full gallon of water daily and are allowed absolutely no alcohol or cheat meals. Slip up and indulge in that piece of chocolate cake or glass of wine and back to square one you go.
As a dietitian, I appreciate the ability to choose your own diet plan here. Each individual has unique nutritional needs, and there is no one-fits-all approach when it comes to food (or health in general). However, without any guidance on how to properly fuel your body for the high amounts of activity required during the 75 Hard, it could be easy for a person to end up with an imbalanced diet, which could then impact their desired results. Rapid weight loss, lack of muscle gains, or even muscle loss could all happen.
Read More: 5 Signs You’re Losing Muscle, Not Fat
On the flip side, the rule about drinking a gallon of water a day overlooks individual differences. A person’s water needs depend on multiple factors, including body mass and activity level.
And the zero cheat meal policy? In my professional opinion, it’s just completely unrealistic—and not helpful over time. In my many years working with clients, an all-or-nothing mentality has never led to long-term success.
The Workouts
75 Hard requires you to work out twice daily for 45 minutes each—and one of those workouts must take place outdoors. Any type of physical activity counts, which allows each individual to adjust based on their capabilities and goals. You might choose to do a weight-lifting session in the morning, and then take a 45-minute walk after work. Or perhaps you go running during the day and do some yoga before bed. As long as you’re active for a total of 90 minutes daily, and at least half of that is outside, you’re good. Deciding to stay inside because it’s 20 degrees or raining out isn’t an option.
I’m not a fitness professional, but I’m well-versed in habit formation and behavior change—and I see some big pros and cons here, too. Once again, the flexibility is a positive. The potential issue I see with the workouts, though, is the time commitment. I hear the argument about making time for things that are important to us, but there are only so many hours in the day. For many people, prioritizing 90 minutes a day for exercise might require skipping out on necessary sleep or other routines that are also essential for whatever health benefits they’re after. I’d reckon a privileged few have 90 spare minutes lying around to use for exercise. I’ve always found that setting realistic goals is the most important aspect of building sustainable habits—and starting with 30 to 60 minutes of exercise per day (whether it’s one long bout, broken up into pieces, performed indoors, or done outside) has plenty to offer.
The Extras
There are just two more rules involved in the 75 Hard challenge: You must take a progress picture every day and read 10 pages of a non-fiction, educational book that’s oriented towards self-improvement every day. (Sorry, audiobooks don’t count.)
It’s the progress pictures I take the most issue with here. Frankly, there’s just no benefit to taking them daily. Physical change takes time, and if you truly want to document it, taking a picture once a month or so should be sufficient. More importantly, though, this rule puts a huge emphasis on physical appearance over all of the other physical and mental improvements this plan claims to facilitate.
Read More: 6 Signs You’re Reaching Your Fitness Goals That Go Beyond The Scale
Of course, reading is great; no arguments there. However, I’m sure there are benefits to be had from listening to an audiobook on your commute or while working out, if that works better for you.
Should You Try the 75 Hard Challenge?
As you can see, the rules here are fairly simple—but that doesn’t mean they’re easy. In all, 75 Hard has some serious pros and cons.
The Pros
One positive thing about the 75 Hard is that there’s a lot of room for customization in that you can choose the diet and workouts that fit your preferences and goals. After all, people are typically more likely to stick to a plan that is specific to their lifestyle.
The 75-day challenge period also allows for plenty of time to really settle into some new behaviors. Research suggests there’s no magic number regarding how long it takes to form a new healthy habit, but instead suggests that the time needed depends on the specific activity and circumstances. For many people, 75 days is a solid chunk of time to establish new routines and habits.
The Cons
Obviously, sticking to these rules is a huge commitment that just may not be realistic for a lot of people. Not everyone has time to exercise for 90 minutes daily, especially while working full-time, parenting, and/or other responsibilities.
That said, those who can ramp up workout time may not know how to properly fuel all their activity, and could easily end up undernourished—one downside of the lack of specific nutritional guidelines.
Plus, those with a history of body dysmorphia or disordered eating may find the daily progress pictures to be triggering.
Finally, the lack of flexibility when it comes to breaking (or forgetting) even one rule can set up unrealistic expectations that might leave an individual feeling defeated. Allowing yourself to adapt to the constantly changing circumstances of daily life is key to maintaining long-term behavior changes. I find that a “no exceptions” mentality can ultimately tank motivation and cause undue stress and anxiety. Failure is a part of life, and persevering through the hiccups is where strength comes from. Giving yourself grace is not a weakness.
Here’s A Challenge Worth Trying Instead…
If you’re looking for a strict program to follow and you have a flexible job, plenty of time to work out, some nutritional knowledge to guide you, and plenty of willpower in the tank, the 75 Hard might be what you’re looking for. However, most people would probably prefer—and be more successful with—the 75 Soft Challenge inspired by Stephen Gallagher (@stephengfitness on TikTok). Yes, that’s really a thing!
This modified version of 75 Hard still provides a list of rules designed to fast-track you to next-level health, but they’re much less severe or restrictive and thus less likely to contribute to unhealthy behaviors and patterns.
Here are the new rules…
- Follow a healthy eating pattern and drink alcohol only on social occasions.
- Exercise for 45 minutes per day six days per week, allowing one day a week for active recovery.
- Drink 3 liters of water daily.
- Read 10 pages from a book of your choice every day.
The best part? There is no rule requiring you to start over if you miss a day or break a rule. Unsurprisingly, this spin-off trend has gained a following! Check out #75soft on TikTok for all sorts of success stories.
Of course, if these rules still don’t work for you, that’s okay. I recommend creating your own plan inspired by these challenges! This way, you can establish your own timeframe and guidelines for healthy eating, exercise, and other daily forms of self-improvement. The key is to keep it specific and realistic for sustainable change. Consider choosing two to four goals to work towards in a set timeframe. For example, you might focus on eliminating sugary beverages, eating more fruits and vegetables, going for a daily walk, and/or taking a multivitamin every day for a month. Good luck! You’ve got this.