"There are no ifs, ands, or buts about the 75 Hard challenge: It’s intense and unforgiving (I mean, two workouts in one day is really not necessary). While we have TikTok to thank for putting us up to various workout trends (hello, 3-2-8 method or 4-2-1 method) that are approachable and adaptable to meet our needs, the 75 Hard is an entirely different beast, testing more than just your fitness prowess (there’s a reason it has “hard” in its name). As the program’s website says, “If you’re looking for a new fitness program or challenge, this is not it.” Rather, it’s a “transformative mental toughness program” that combines fitness, nutrition, self-improvement, and physical and mental discipline.
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If having some structure in your workout and diet routines without the hardcore measures of 75 Hard is more your speed, consider it’s less stringent, more lenient cousin 75 Medium. As the name implies, 75 Medium falls in between the strict 75 Hard and the flexible 75 Soft challenges. While 75 Medium and 75 Hard may provide direction and motivation for adopting healthy habits, do they go too far? Are they worth trying? Keep reading to learn what the 75 Medium challenge breaks down to, how it compares to 75 Hard, and what experts think of the two fitness approaches.
What is 75 Hard?
Andy Frisella, a podcaster and CEO of the supplement company 1st Phorm, created 75 Hard after being inspired by his interview with “Iron Cowboy” James Lawrence, who completed 50 Ironman races in 50 consecutive days across all 50 states. In that interview, Lawrence shared that you must put yourself in uncomfortable places in order to develop mental fortitude. Thus, 75 Hard was born.
The 75-day program is based on the following daily criteria:
- Follow a diet of your choice, but it must be a structured eating plan with the goal of physical improvement. No cheat meals and no alcohol allowed.
- Complete two 45-minute workouts, one of which must be done outdoors.
- Take a progress picture.
- Drink one gallon of water.
- Read 10 pages of a non-fiction book (audiobooks excluded).
“You will be tempted to try to change things a little to suit you and your ‘special lifestyle,'” Frisella warns on the program’s welcome email. “But that right there is the root of every problem in your life.” If you don’t follow through on any of the set guidelines, the challenge resets at day one. And no modifications are allowed (yes, it’s intense).
On 75 Hard’s website, Frisella claims that his program will show you how to boost your confidence, self-esteem, self-worth, self-belief, fortitude, and grittiness—making a positive impact on yourself, your career, relationships, time management, thinking, and physical shape. “75 Hard is the only program that can permanently change your life…from your way of thinking, to the level of discipline you approach every single task in front of you with,” he states.
How Does It Compare to 75 Medium?
Compared to 75 Hard, 75 Medium doesn’t have a hard set of rules to follow. Rather, its guidelines vary slightly, depending on the participant of the challenge, making it a less rigid, more balanced option that you can adjust based on your personal lifestyle. Because 75 Medium allows for some leeway in diet and requires only one 45-minute workout (as opposed to the two that the 75 Hard demands), it also promotes a more accessible and sustainable framework. And as far as the personal development component goes, 75 Medium adds listening as a form of growth in addition to reading. However, like 75 Hard, if you don’t follow through on any of the 75 Medium rules, you have to restart at day one. Below are the general conditions of the 75 Medium:
- Hydrate: Drink half your body weight in ounces of water each day.
- Exercise: Work out for 45 minutes every day.
- Diet: Stick to your chosen diet 90% of the time, without cheating and without consuming alcohol.
- Personal development: Read or listen to 10 minutes of something inspirational, like a personal development podcast or self-help book every day.
- Mindfulness: Meditate or pray for 5-10 minutes every day.
- Progress pictures: Most 75 Medium participants take one progress picture every day.
What Do Experts Say About 75 Medium and 75 Hard?
While 75 Medium and 75 Hard may sound good on paper, I had to dig deeper by asking experts to give the pros and cons of the programs (anything too rigorous or restrictive is an immediate red flag that calls for a deep dive).
Pros
“75 Hard is a great way to develop discipline and mental toughness,” said Dr. Brittany Robles, MD, MPH, CPT, an OBGYN physician and NASM-certified personal trainer. “By committing to 75 days of strict adherence to the program, you’ll be training your mind to push through discomfort, which is the biggest factor in achieving long-term goals. Additionally, 75 Hard can help you develop healthy habits, such as regular exercise, proper hydration, and mindful eating.” According to strength and conditioning coach Andy Vincent, 75 Medium can also help you cultivate weekly habits around exercise, hydration, and reading. “For anyone who has read Atomic Habits, the idea of creating stable habits and stacking them on top of each other is an excellent approach for anyone looking to improve their overall health and productivity,” he told Women’s Health.
Cons
Dr. Shoaib Malik, MD, a board-certified family medicine doctor, warned that it’s important to understand the full picture of the 75 Medium and 75 Hard challenges before deciding whether it’s right for you. He cited that the strict requirements of them can be intense, leading to burnout, injury, or negative impact on mental health for some individuals, as well as the potential pitfalls related to negative body image. Vincent echoed the same concern: “‘75 days is a lot, no matter how flexible you are,” he shared with Women’s Health. “If you’re walking into this, and it’s a huge difference to what your day-to-day life is like now, it becomes one more stressor to try and fit in, and people run the risk of feeling really overwhelmed and potentially burned out with the amount of decisions they need to make.”
Vincent pointed out that while 75 Medium has a flexible approach to nutrition (with the option to choose what type of nutrition plan is right for you) and a lower training frequency than 75 Hard, it doesn’t offer any actual guidance (considering there’s a lot of misinformation in the nutrition and fitness spaces) and there is neglect of any kind of focused recovery. Instead, it leaves individuals to interpret how to carry out the diet and exercise parameters, which can lead to a poor nutritional strategy overall and overtraining. Furthermore, the progress photos have little use and may even incite an obsession with physical appearance, frequent body checking, and body dysmorphia. “There will be a large percentage of people who come into this and actually have either no change or potentially worse body composition, because there’s no actual real science or sound principles of nutrition and exercise built into it,” Vincent said.
The Everygirl Verdict
First and foremost, we encourage doing what feels right for you. We provide expert opinions and possible factors for your consideration, but only you know what is right for you. But as for whether or not we think 75 Medium or Hard is worth doing? Factors like getting outside, staying hydrated, encouraging becoming your best self, and being conscious of fitting in movement and nutrient-dense foods are undoubtedly beneficial, and perhaps the structure can help you find motivation or stick to mental and physical health goals that otherwise feel difficult.
That said, maintaining the habits for 75 days straight without factoring in obligations and possible setbacks that may come up (ahem, life) and the restrictions (e.g., no alcohol, exercising every day, having to start over if you make any missteps) both challenges ask for can contribute to burnout, not to mention detrimental and obsessive behaviors, especially for anyone who considers themselves a beginner in health and fitness. The all-or-nothing mindset can be particularly triggering for anyone with a past or current disordered relationship with food or exercise, namely the progression photos that give more focus on appearance than more important factors like how you feel and your well-being.
Plus, our minds and bodies feel and need different things every day. You may feel energized for a 45-minute morning workout and afternoon walk on one day, but on other days, your body will let you know it needs rest, which isn’t a part of either the 75 Medium or 75 Hard plans (rest days are just as important as your workouts). Because the programs aren’t backed by science or guided by a trained expert, they should be taken with a grain of salt. For a plan to be effective and attainable—be it a fitness, eating, or career—it needs to be flexible and enjoyable, and 75 Medium and 75 Hard doesn’t fit the bill for most people.
Adapt the specifications of the challenges to work for you. Do 75 Medium or 75 Hard for 30 days instead of 75, work out for 10, 20, or 30 minutes—however long your energy level and schedule permits, take regular recovery days whenever you need them, listen to your hunger cues, and practice any type of personal development that speaks to you. But if you want no part in either regimens, you can achieve mental toughness and a wellness reset without committing to fitness trends and putting yourself through extreme practices. Stick with movement that brings you joy and create your own little challenges. If you do Pilates two times a week, try adding one more soft workout a week. Maybe you’ve just discovered lifting weights makes you feel like a badass and you can’t get enough; make it a goal to add more weights or reps to your back squat every two weeks (think: 8-10 squats week 1, then 10-12 squats week 3, and so on). Whatever your health and fitness goal—attaining mental toughness, eating healthy, working out more—any progress counts, and taking the what-makes-you-feel-good approach wins—TikTok trend or not.
Experts Consulted
Dr. Brittany Robles is an OBGYN, NASM-certified personal trainer, and prenatal and postnatal fitness specialist.
Andy Vincent is a personal training coach with 20 years experience.
Dr. Shoaib Malik is a board-certified family medicine physician.