3 Things You Can Learn From the '75 Hard' Program

The '75 Hard' program isn't just about fitness or weight loss; it's a complete mental reset. Here's three ways it can make you more resilient.

By Mark Travers, Ph.D. | December 26, 2024

When it comes to making important life changes, many of us struggle with promising ourselves that we'll change while trying to keep our heads above water amidst various responsibilities. This can leave us trapped in a cycle of good intentions and missed opportunities that seems never-ending.

Entrepreneur Andy Frisella hoped to upend this cycle with the now viral "75 Hard challenge." This radical experiment is meant to inspire discipline, motivation and personal transformation. The rules are simple but brutal. For 75 consecutive days, you must:

• Follow a diet of your choice— with absolutely no cheat meals.
• Drink one gallon of water every day.
• Complete two 45-minute workouts (with one mandatory outdoor session).
• Read ten pages of a non-fiction, self-improvement book.
• Take a progress photo daily.

If you miss even one point above, you start over, no excuses. The program is a psychological crucible designed to challenge limits and rebuild your understanding of personal potential.

However, it may not account for several limitations, including individual differences in lifestyle, physical ability, mental health and access to resources. The rigid nature of 75 Hard makes it unsustainable for many, especially those with demanding jobs, caregiving responsibilities or health conditions that prevent them from following such an extreme regimen.

Additionally, this all-or-nothing approach can heighten feelings of guilt or inadequacy when participants slip up, potentially reinforcing negative cycles rather than breaking them. In contrast, variations such as the "75 Soft" challenge offer a more flexible and inclusive alternative, encouraging balance over perfection, such as exercising once a day with adequate rest, staying hydrated without a strict gallon requirement and reading any book you enjoy.

While these challenges may not be for everyone, they do offer some valuable lessons. They remind us that we often let fear, habit and self-doubt dictate our lives, even though we long for personal growth.

Here are a few lessons that 75 Hard (and 75 Soft) offers, that extend far beyond diet and exercise.

1. You May Be Holding Yourself Back

We all have go-to excuses for not going after our goals, ranging from "I don't have the time" to "This is too hard." While many of us face very real barriers to making change, sometimes our lack of self-belief creates the invisible chains holding us back.

Research published in Personality and Individual Differences in 2014 shows that we often rely on excuses that make us feel safe. Trying new things can be uncomfortable, especially when we don't believe we will succeed. So, we often use excuses to self-preserve over pushing ourselves in healthy ways. This is not to say that your excuse is invalid, but it is holding you back.

While you don't necessarily need 75 days to unlearn this, it is important to confront self-imposed barriers and separate them from externally imposed challenges. We can unlock incredible potential when we take on mental roadblocks.

For instance, even starting with a 10-minute walk can make a difference to your physical and mental health, even if you've stopped yourself before, thinking you don't have time for fitness.

2. Consistency Is Your Superpower

These 75-day challenges also remind us of the power of showing up for ourselves day after day, rain or shine. In an era of instant gratification, it's easy to believe that once you start something—a new career, a weight loss journey or even a business—you should see results within a few days. In reality, progress is not always linear, and it's small changes that build up over time to create sustainable, long-lasting results.

In his bestselling 2018 book Atomic Habits, James Clear discusses compounding success, the theory that doing something once may not make you better at it, but improving that habit by just one percent each day will more than double your efforts by the end of the year.

When it comes to building any habit, it's all about showing up consistently. Each day you read those ten pages or each workout you complete builds momentum. As Clear puts it, "You do not rise to the level of your goals; you fall to the level of your systems." Motivation comes and goes, but consistent action is your true north to success.

3. You Can Grow Through Your Challenges

A 2018 study published in Trends in Cognitive Sciences suggests that controlled effort can make the goal we achieve all the more satisfying. This is because effort itself can feel costly, and so the more effort we put into something, the more valuable it automatically becomes to us.

Simply put, when you complete challenging goals, you feel good, and that makes you want to keep going. While it may sound cliché, growth often happens outside of your comfort zone, and pushing yourself can give you a deep sense of achievement—not because the tasks are easy, but because they are worth it.

For instance, you may have always wanted to join a dance class, but felt that you were too old or that you wouldn't be able to keep up. But, you show up and challenge yourself to keep going, remembering that enjoying the process is more important than anything else. You'll likely find yourself pleasantly surprised at how well you're doing a few weeks in, dancing like you never thought you could.

By continuing to prove that you can do hard things, your self-esteem grows, and you unknowingly begin to adopt a "winning mindset." This is a domino effect of confidence that starts to happen when you realize you are capable of pushing past your limits.

While we must remember to be compassionate and patient with ourselves as we navigate new territory and make significant life changes, we mustn't enable the self-limiting beliefs that keep us stuck in our ways. Realizing that we can do hard things reminds us of our true potential and most importantly, that we deserve the laurels that come with them.

Do you procrastinate on goals that are important to you? Take this science-backed test to learn more: General Procrastination Scale

A similar version of this article can also be found on Forbes.com, here.