Buzz
As the new year rolls in, many of us are told it's time for a fresh start, a 'new you.' Your calendar is cleared, motivation is at an all-time high, and now all you need is a solid plan for self-improvement. For some reason, however, many are opting for one of the most misguided fitness challenges: '75 Hard.'
I've previously outlined how to spot a truly ineffective fitness challenge, and '75 Hard' fits the bill perfectly. It sets you up for failure and places the blame squarely on your shoulders. Its rules focus on what's difficult rather than what's truly beneficial in the long run, and it isn't really a fitness or mental toughness program—it’s just a marketing tool designed for one individual’s benefit.
So, what exactly are the 'rules' of 75 Hard?
The concept behind 75 Hard is simple: for 75 consecutive days, you must complete five specific tasks every single day.
Stick to a diet. It can be any diet you choose, but it must be a structured plan focused on physical improvement.
Perform two 45-minute workouts daily. These can range from walks to restorative yoga. One of these workouts must be outdoors, regardless of the weather conditions.
Abstain from alcohol and cheat meals.
Take a daily progress photo.
Read 10 pages of a book each day. Audiobooks are not included.
And here's the kicker: if you make a mistake, you have to restart from Day 1.
The positive aspects of 75 Hard
To be fair, any plan that encourages exercise and healthier eating can have some benefits, even if they don't necessarily come from 75 Hard itself. It's important to note that the exercise requirement is simply 'do two workouts,' and the diet plan is to 'follow a diet.' In other words, you're the one who defines your workout and diet plan, while Frisella takes credit for the results.
Some potential benefits of committing to the 75 Hard challenge include:
Committing to two daily workouts becomes a routine, helping you develop consistency.
To avoid burnout from intense daily workouts, you’ll discover that incorporating activities like walking, yoga, and other restorative exercises is essential for balance.
Designing your own workout and meal plans teaches you the value of decision-making and discipline, encouraging follow-through instead of vague goals.
Reading books is also part of the challenge, and that’s perfectly acceptable.
I’ve shared the positives, but now let’s discuss the flaws of the 75 Hard program.
The strictness of 75 Hard seems unnecessary.
When I commit to a workout program, I go all-in. For example, when I followed a demanding six-day-per-week routine this past summer, I completed every single workout—no matter how challenging. I ran track repeats in the rain, hit the gym despite feeling fatigued, and when outdoor conditions were unsafe due to wildfire smoke, I switched to a spin bike for my interval training.
I stuck with the plan because I knew the effort would lead to strength. It paid off when I achieved my first-ever 101-kilo front squat (222 pounds) during that program. I built up a solid work capacity that set the stage for a fantastic training cycle that followed, culminating in a personal best total at my year-end weightlifting meet. I took on challenges because I believed the rewards would be worth it.
75 Hard sometimes feels like it was created by an alien or a robot. Athletes push themselves hard, so the program makes people push hard too. Athletes follow a strict schedule, so the program does the same. But it’s like a car with no engine—looks fine on the outside but lacks the power to move you forward.
Frisella attempts to fix this major flaw mostly through shouting at participants. You must follow the rules, not because they make sense, but because the rule is simply to follow the rules. And if the rules don’t work for you? Well, that’s your problem, not the program’s.
For instance, the introductory email says this:
You’ll face temptations to cheat and cut corners. The temptation won’t come from me ... it will come from yourself.
Um, Andy, you’re the one making the rules. If I’m 'tempted' to do something that’s perfectly normal and healthy, but you’ve forbidden it, who exactly is turning that normal, healthy thing into a temptation?
When you make even a small compromise with yourself, it becomes ingrained in your life. You tell yourself it's acceptable and create a pattern of compromise that spreads through every area of your life. It dulls the sharp edges of what could be an extraordinary life.
Once again, these promises come from Andy Frisella to Andy Frisella, but he expects you to do all the hard work.
This idea of ‘compromise’ assumes that what you're attempting to do is something important, something that should never be compromised. But really, they’re just arbitrary rules. Rules that won’t help you reach any meaningful goal other than becoming 'the person who did 75 Hard and is proud of it.' That’s fine if that’s your thing, but you’ll likely end up frustrated with the rules and blaming yourself.
'Progress' photos make you obsess over how your body looks.
75 Hard requires you to take daily progress photos. This forces you to focus on how your body looks, both as a result of the challenge and as a daily obsession. Seriously. If you miss even one day of taking a photo, you’ve broken the rules and have to start over.
The progress photos also play a role in drawing others into the challenge. The marketing page for 75 Hard showcases nine different before-and-after photos. By sharing your own on social media, you’re essentially promoting the challenge and keeping the focus on body image. For a challenge that's supposed to build 'mental toughness,' this really seems like something that could mess with a lot of people’s minds.
Drinking a gallon of water every day is both pointless and potentially hazardous.
One of the rules is that you must drink a gallon of water every day. For a larger person, that might not be *too* extreme in terms of total fluid intake. But then come the exceptions. Frisella has reportedly said that:
This doesn’t count fluids from food.
This doesn’t include any other drinks, even flavored water.
If you need or want to replace fluids lost during those intense workouts with electrolytes, sorry, (flavored) electrolyte drinks don’t count either.
He mentions that you may need to adjust the amount of water you drink if instructed by a medical professional. It's somewhat odd for the challenge to place 'because 75 Hard says so' right beneath medical advice, yet it seems to override any other possible reasons you might follow the rules, such as realizing that they are ridiculous.
There is no unique health benefit to drinking an entire gallon of water that you wouldn't gain from consuming half a gallon mixed with other beverages like Diet Coke, coffee, and soup.
Consuming too much water can be harmful, especially towards the end of the day when you might realize you're far from your goal and decide to down the rest in one go. Hyponatremia, also known as water intoxication, is a real condition, and the danger increases when you drink excessive amounts without feeling thirsty just because you're told to. One case study involved a child who was hospitalized after her parent made her drink more than half a gallon in just a few hours, leading to an investigation for child abuse. While it's rare for healthy individuals to die from water intoxication, it does happen.
Explore these more effective methods to enhance your fitness in 75 days.
If only we could split the beneficial aspects of 75 Hard from the less helpful ones! Oh wait—the good parts are simply 'choose an exercise program and stick to it,' which is an easy adjustment to make.
It’s quite ironic that the 75 Hard website advises you to 'consult your physician or other health care professional before starting 75 HARD™ or any other fitness program,' and then immediately follows up with 'THIS IS NOT A FITNESS CHALLENGE' on the same page. Clearly, we can do better than this.
Consider trying a real fitness program—one that provides structured workouts and tasks for specific days, all designed to help you reach a distinct goal. You'll emerge from the program not only stronger and fitter but also ready for the next challenge—rather than exhausted and ready to give up.
75 days translates to roughly 10 to 11 weeks. Here are a few programs that fit within that time frame:
Hal Higdon’s “Spring Training” base-building plan for runners—a 10-week program with four runs and two strength training sessions each week. You'll also get a time trial every other weekend to track your progress.
Couch to 5K, the classic program designed to gently ease people into running. It’s also 10 weeks long, with simple intervals to start. You’ll do three walk/run sessions each week. I have mixed feelings about how effective this program is for beginners, but if you're mindful of its limitations, go ahead and give it a try.
The Strength Athlete’s beginner powerlifting program—a nine-week plan, with an optional four-week peak at the end for those interested in a powerlifting meet (or a 'mock meet'). It involves lifting four times a week and is for individuals with some experience in squat, bench press, and deadlift, though not necessarily extensive training.
This Reddit-famous frankenprogram, which merges the Mag-Ort deadlift program, parts of the GZCL squat program, and something called 'Deathbench' to boost your bench press. It’s a 10-week program with five training days per week, meant for experienced lifters seeking an intense challenge.
These are just a few examples; there are countless 10-week (or eight-week or 12-week) programs available for various sports and activities. Choose one, mark your workouts on the calendar, and complement it with proper nutrition to meet your goals. In 75 days, you'll become a stronger lifter or a more proficient runner, all without pointless suffering.
