Unless you have been living under a rock for the last few years year, you have heard of 75 Hard.
Though 75 Hard has died down post-COVID, it’s still a popular challenge. And it’s well worth a shot if you want to make drastic changes in your routine.
In this article we cover what the 75 Hard Challenge is and how you can structure it to avoid injury, overtraining, and burnout. I also cover some things that aren’t included in the original challenge that I believe could make the challenge even more life changing.
With any new challenge involving fitness and diet, you should always consult with a medical professional to ensure you are healthy enough to participate.
If you decide 75 Hard is something you want to try, we put together a checklist to help keep you on track for all 75 days and beyond!
Keep reading for your 75 Hard Challenge Checklist printable free pdf!
Table of Contents
What is 75 Hard?
Podcaster Andy Frisella created the 75 Hard Challenge to increase his mental toughness. The 75 Hard Challenge program is not something you takelightly. Frisella intended it to be a transformative mental toughness program.
Frisella states that this is not a fitness program or health challenge. It is a mental toughness challenge.However, the two primary tenants of the program involve adhering to a fitness plan and diet. To be clear, Andy is not a personal trainer, physician, or nutritionist.He is a podcaster and business owner who wanted to do something drastic to develop better habits around his health. This program was a way to get out of his comfort zone and jump-start his transformation.
He did so by committing to a 75-day plan of following a few simple rules:
- Work out twice every day for 45 minutes at least four hours apart. One of the two workouts must be outside.
- Stick to a diet without any cheat meals.
- Do not drink alcohol.
- Drink 1 gallon of water per day.
- Read 10 pages of a personal development book.
If you miss one of the requirements, you have to start the 75 days over from day one.
- It is not required, but most participants take at least two progress pictures – one on day one and one on day 75.
The Hate
Like most things that verge on the extreme, 75 Hard has attracted a lot of love and a lot of hate.
The hate canbe summedup like this. The lack of clear guidance leaves too much room for potential mistakes. Things like injuries, overtraining, and an inability to recover. On that front, I agree.
If you’ve never worked out before and start working out every day for 90 minutes, you are likely to fall off the wagon within the first few days. Or worse, you will injure yourself.
Others may become so desperate for results that they push themselves too hard. Without appropriate recovery time, this can lead to overtraining.Symptoms of overtraining include days or weeks of fatigue, poor performance, hormonal disturbances, or burn out.
Also, the one gallon of water appears to be an arbitrary amount that Frisella chose based on…nothing.
The Love
Despite the potential for taking this program too far, I like many things about it.
The challenge is long.
Committing to anything for longer than a week, which is about as long as most New Year resolutions, is a good idea. James Clear, the author of Atomic Habits, states that most habits form around the 60-day mark. So, a 75-day challenge could help you develop some positive habits for the long haul.
There is community-building around the challenge.
Many share their progress on social media and connect with other participants. People are sharing their progress photos and cheering each other on. This can help with accountability and provide encouragement when things get tough.
There is no alcohol allowed.
Alcohol is an easy way to throw off your diet plan. It’s easy to over-consume and can contain large amounts of sugar and calories. Alcohol can derail not only weight loss goals but exercise programs. Working out hungover is an awful feeling. I like that this program eliminates the risk of that happening.
The workout rule is vague.
I like that Frisella doesn’t define what makes up a 45-minute workout. This allows the participant to include active recovery, weight lifting, and cardio. I also like the rule that one workout must be outdoors. This is Outdoor Muscle, after all.
Reading more is always a good thing.
I like therequirementof reading 10 pages a day. Frisella recommends personal development books for the reading rule.I thinkreading any kind of book every day is a good for the mind. There are plenty of amazing stories that will inspire your personal development. So, read something you want to read, even if it’s not in the personal development category.
How to Structure the Workouts Without Overtraining
The 45-minute workouts need to be at least four hours apart according to the 75 Hard guidelines. The easiest way to split up your workouts is with a morning workout and an afternoon or evening workout.
Some workout ideas include:
- Resistance training
- Bodyweight training
- Yoga
- Mobility work
- High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
- Walking
- Hiking
- Biking
- Kayaking
- Swimming
Determine what kind of training you will do
Pick one type of training to build your routine around. Most people focus the physical fitness part of the challenge around resistance training.
How to choose how many days to do resistance training?
Novice (less than one year of training): 3 days per week
Intermediate (one to three years of training): 4 days per week
Advanced (four plus years of training): 5 days per week
You should not do two resistance training sessions on the same day.
For the second session, you should do something low-intensity and light-paced.
- Walk
- Bike
- Swim
- Yoga
- Mobility
- Play a game or sport
Novice Resistance Training Days Example Schedule
- Monday: Weight lifting AM; Neighborhood walk PM.
- Wednesday: Weight-lifting AM; Bike ride PM.
- Friday: Weight-lifting AM; Backyard Yoga PM.
Check out Outdoor Muscle’s Fitness Hub for training ideas!
Non-Resistance Training Days
There aren’t any rest days in the program. But that doesn’t mean you can’t use active recovery to your advantage. You should focus your AM workout on recovery work. This can help maximize recovery from your weight-lifting sessions. Yoga and mobility exercises may help reduce inflammation, for example.
You can also include a day of plyometrics or calisthenics to build strength and power without putting as much strain on your skeletal and nervous systems.
The PM workouts would not change from above. An outdoor steady-state walk or bike ride around the neighborhood is a great option. A walk is all you need to help increase blood flow to your muscles to aid in recovery. Walking also has several health benefits.According to Colorado State University Center for Healthy Aging, “Walkingregularlyhelps maintain healthy bodyweight, reduces high blood pressure, decreases the risk for type 2 diabetes, and promotes a strong musculoskeletal system.”
Non-Resistance Training Days Example Schedule
- Tuesday: Yoga AM; Neighborhood bike ride PM.
- Thursday: Mobility AM; Neighborhood walk PM.
- Saturday: Calisthenics/bodyweight routine AM; Track HIIT/walk PM.
- Sunday: Yoga AM; Neighborhood walk PM.
Diet
Frisella doesn’t specify any diet plans in the 75 Hard Challenge.
His advice is to pick a diet you think you can follow. It can be any diet, like Weight Watchers, low carb, Paleo, or keto.
There are so many options. This can lead to you picking something you can’t maintain for 75 days.
Here is an alternative option to consider. Create your own “diet.”
Replace two or three things you consume every day with a healthier alternative. Instead of soda, drink water, for example. Instead of fast food for breakfast, make yourself a veggie smoothie or protein shake.
Reduce the amount of food you eat out of a package. This is the simplest path to healthy eating.
You don’t always realize how much food you eat from a box until you try to stop.
No more snacking. Stick to whole meals made from natural ingredients. No more chips, cereal, or candy.
What if you are someone trying to put on mass? Nothing changes here. You don’t want the type of mass soda and chips provides. You want muscle mass.
The only difference is you will add in more meals or larger portions.
Subscribe to the Outdoor Muscle Newsletter and get 20 free protein-packed recipes to help with your diet goals!
Water
This is the only area you may need to diverge from the 75 Hard challenge. The point of the gallon of water is to address the issue that most people don’t drink enough water. But the advice of one gallon is arbitrary.It does not consider anything like physical size, activity level, or the individual’s cellular response to hydration.
Hydrate before, during, and after your workouts.
Add a pinch of sea salt and a teaspoon of sugar to your water during your workout to maintain your electrolyte balance. It’s acceptable to have a sports drink during workouts as well.
Reading
Reading is one of the most common struggles for challenge participants. If you aren’t an avid reader already, it can be difficult to start with all our modern distractions. Choose something that interests you.
Here are a few tips to help you develop a reading habit.
Read an actual book, not an ebook. It’s too easy to get distracted by phone notifications with e-readers.
Read a genre you enjoy. There are some good personal development books out there, but the genre is not for everyone.
Try listening to a book. It can be relaxing to set your phone down, close your eyes, and listen to someone read you a story.
Here are five books that include fitness, the great outdoors, and a story that will inspire you to achieve great things.
- The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown
- Endure by Cameron Hanes
- Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
- Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins
- The Perfect Mile by Neal Bascomb
Here are five personal development books that can make a difference in your life.
- Grit by Angela Duckworth
- Someday is Today by Matthew Dicks
- Atomic Habits by James Clear
- Deep Work by Cal Newport
- The Obstacle is the Way by Ryan Holiday
One More Thing to Add to the Challenge
The 75 Hard challenge is a great way to develop new habits. It has the potential to lead to positive mental and physical changes.
There is one thing missing from the 75 Hard challenge.
Sleep.
Quality sleepwill aid in recovery, improve health, and help you reap the rewards of that new healthy diet.
Make it a point to get as much sleep as you can.
There is no supplement on earth that will provide as much benefit to your recovery as a good night’s rest. Imagine how good you will feel after 75 days of going to bed early.
If you can master the art of good sleep, you will feel more refreshed in the morning and rely less on your alarm clock. You will need less caffeine to make it through your morning workout.
Ways to Improve Your Sleep
1. Use your bed for sleep. Don’t work, watch tv, or scroll on your phone in bed. That is what the couch is for. Train your mind that the bed is for sleep, and you will fall asleep faster.
2. Get a pair of blue light-blocking glasses. You can get a pair on Amazon for under $20. Put the glasses on as soon as the sun goes down.
3. Stop looking at your electronic devices 30 minutes before bedtime.
4. Stop eating an hour before bedtime.
5. Make a to-do list for the next day. This will prevent you from laying in bed thinking of everything you must do tomorrow.
6. Stop working a half hour before bedtime.
7. Focus on diaphragmatic breathing when you turn off the lights. Inhale deep into your diaphragm. Hold for a few seconds.Slowlyexhale your breath.
75 Hard Challenge Checklist Printable Free PDF
Any time you are goal setting for the future, it’s important to have a progress tracker. Jerry Seinfieldfamouslyexplained how he tracked his joke writing. On his calendar, he would put an X through a day where he wrote a joke. He would do this for a few days in a row, so the X’s made a chain. His goal then became to not break the chain.
There are different versions of the 75 Hard trackers out there. But my favorite is the kind where you put an X through the box to show you accomplished all the hard things.Justlike Jerry did.
In the downloadable 75 Hard Challenge Checklist I created, every square represents a day. In the square is a checklist for each of the 75 Hard rules. This allows you to check off items youaccomplishthroughout the day.Once you check the last box, you can put an X through the day, knowing you made progress toward developing long term healthy habits.
When you submit your email below, you will be instantly taken to the tracker download link.You will alsobe addedto our email list, where you will receive several free training resources, recipes, and product discounts.
From Andy Frisella: You should consult your physician or other health care professional before starting 75 Hard or any other fitness program to determine if it is right for your needs. Do not start 75 Hard if your physician or health care provider advises against it.
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Buck Stewart
Buck is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) and Personal Trainer (NSCA-CPT). He is the founder of Outdoor Muscle, a veteran-owned company dedicated to inspiring 1 million people to take on an outdoor fitness challenge.
