If you’ve checked your phone lately, it’s likely you’ve spotted someone you know, or perhaps a popular influencer, embarking on the 75 day Hard Challenge journey.
On TikTok, tags like “75HardChallenge” and “75Hard” have garnered immense attention, raking in billions of views.
Clearly, 75 Hard is creating waves on the digital front, but what’s this challenge all about, and is it worth your shot?
75 Day Hard Challenge Quick Start Guide
Here’s the scoop on the 75 Hard Challenge. It boils down to just 5 essential guidelines:
- Stick to a chosen diet
- Engage in two 45-minute workouts each day
- Hydrate with a gallon of water daily
- Dive into 10 pages of factual literature
- Snap those transformation photos
Sounds straightforward, doesn’t it? However, there’s a reason the 75 Hard stands out as a rigorous fitness regimen. Keep reading to delve deeper into this 75-day fitness journey.
A Detailed Insights at the 75 Hard Challenge
The 75 Hard Challenge has faced its fair share of criticism, with several specialists labeling it as “controversial,” to put it mildly. Yet, despite the cautionary tales, a significant number of enthusiasts continue to jump in, showcasing their transformations and trading advice on how best to navigate the challenge.
Creative adaptations like “75 Medium” and “75 Soft” have emerged, which, in our view, serve as great alternatives for those aiming to establish healthier routines.
As 2023 beckons with aspirations of wellness, the 75 Hard might just be the spark to ignite your year. But for some, the intensity could be a tad much.
Wondering if the 75 Hard Challenge aligns with your goals?
Truthfully, it’s subjective. Let’s dive into some pressing queries you might have about the challenge to determine that.
What is The 75 day Hard Challenge?
The 75 day Hard Challenge was conceived by the entrepreneur and influencer, Andy Frisella.
Touted as a regimen to cultivate mental resilience, it lays out the following criteria for a span of 75 days:
- Commit to a diet. Whichever suits you. While Frisella doesn’t wear the hats of a fitness trainer, diet expert, or nutrition specialist, he fervently suggests seeking advice from professionals regarding your chosen diet. What he’s adamant about, however, is refraining from cheat meals and alcohol.
- Engage in two 45-minute workouts daily, with at least one session outdoors.
- Ensure you consume a gallon of water every day.
- Dedicate yourself to reading 10 pages from a non-fiction book each day. Only tangible reads count, with a preference for titles in the self-improvement realm.
- Document your journey with daily progress photos. A slip in any of the five stipulated rules mandates starting afresh from day one.
Sounds manageable, doesn’t it? For many, it aligns seamlessly with their existing lifestyle.
There’s a segment of enthusiasts who thrive on challenges like 75 Hard. The allure lies in its structured, goal-oriented approach, making it an adrenaline-pumping endeavor. However, the 75 day Hard Challenge isn’t a universal fit, and that’s perfectly fine.
If you’re taking baby steps in fitness or aiming for a holistic lifestyle transformation, diving headlong into the 75 Hard might not fetch you the sustained changes you hope for, primarily because it’s a lot to bite off all at once.
What Are The 75 day Hard Challenge Rules?
Let’s split down the 75 day Hard Challenge rule by rule.
1. Follow A Diet
Many certified nutritionists tend to steer clear of the word “diets,” especially given the typical implications of the term, and the 75 Hard’s dietary component is quite open-ended.
While there’s an emphasis on seeking advice from a medical expert (a step we wholeheartedly endorse), the onus is still on the participant to delineate their dietary strategy for the challenge.
When venturing into any fitness regimen that prescribes dietary norms, caution is essential.
Kati Morton, a credentialed therapist, advocates in a Refinery 29 piece for adopting intuitive eating practices as your dietary guide for 75 Hard. This method hinges on attuning to your body’s signals and indulging its desires in balanced measures.
It’s crucial to source your dietary insights from reputable avenues. Given that the regimen entails dual daily workouts, ensuring you nourish your body adequately with wholesome foods to meet the challenge’s demands is imperative.
2. Work Out Twice A Day
For those aiming to cultivate a consistent exercise routine, diving straight into two sessions of 45-minute workouts daily might not be the most sustainable approach.
Even for those accustomed to an active lifestyle prior to embarking on the 75 Hard, sustaining two extensive sessions daily can be daunting.
A continuous 75-day regimen with such intensity can easily lead to burnout. Notably, the rules of the 75 day Hard Challenge don’t offer guidelines on active recuperation or any recovery post-exercise.
A balanced strategy would be to include active rest activities, like yoga, gentle stretches, casual strolls, or low-intensity jump rope routines as part of your daily exercise target. This approach could make the twice-daily workouts more feasible for many.
Bear in mind, if you’re a newcomer to the world of fitness, diving in too deep too soon can be counterproductive. Overexerting can lead to potential injuries.
Studies underscore the importance of rest days for recuperation and optimal performance. Organizations like the American Council on Exercise champion their significance.
3. Drink A Gallon Of Water
We won’t delve too deeply into the topic of hydration, as we’re staunch proponents of maintaining adequate water intake.
Yet, the gallon-a-day stipulation in the 75 Hard serves as a poignant illustration of the challenge’s one-size-fits-all approach, which doesn’t necessarily factor in individualized requirements.
Barbie Boules, an RDN and the mind behind Barbie Boules Longevity Wellness, opines, “Four liters [equivalent to a gallon] is an excessive quantity of water.”
Boules further emphasizes that such a recommendation is overly broad and could potentially be harmful for certain individuals.
Rather than adhering to a strict gallon intake, a more tailored guideline could be to drink water equivalent to half your body weight in ounces. For instance, someone tipping the scale at 200 pounds wouldn’t necessarily need the full 128 ounces found in a gallon.
However, it’s crucial to adjust your intake based on activity levels, especially if you’re sweating profusely during exercises. This might necessitate increased water consumption throughout the day.
4. Read 10 Pages of Nonfiction
We genuinely appreciate this guideline; in fact, we’re quite fond of it. Considering it’s a modest reading commitment, it sets the stage for cultivating a lasting habit.
It’s pertinent to mention that tuning into audiobooks or podcasts is an equally valid way to meet this daily objective. After all, the essence is to learn and grow.
5. Take Progress Photos
While progress snapshots can serve as a significant motivator for many, they can be disheartening or unsettling for others. Thus, discretion and personal judgment are key here.
It’s also essential to highlight the seeming inconsistency in the 75 day Hard Challenge’s mandate, especially when juxtaposed against its assertion of promoting mental fortitude over physical aesthetics. If the primary emphasis is truly on mental growth and well-being, then the physical transformations shouldn’t hold center stage.
75 Hard: What You Need to Know
Is the 75 day Hard Challenge Really Safe?
A noticeable aspect of 75 Hard is its broad-brush approach, which doesn’t always cater to the individualized fitness stages, lifestyles, or unique circumstances of participants.
Is it possible to navigate it safely? Certainly.
But is it essential to tune into your body’s signals, nourish it adequately, and tailor rest according to personal requirements? Definitely.
Is Tweaking the 75 day Hard Challenge Considered Unfaithful?
If you ask Frisella, the answer is affirmative. As per his doctrine, any deviation equals dishonesty.
