What Is the 75 Hard Challenge? All About the Strict Fitness Program (and the Dangers That May Come with It)

Yahoo

09-07-2025

One of the latest diet and fitness trends to take over social media is the 75 Hard challenge.
Created in 2019 by entrepreneur and podcaster Andy Frisella, 75 Hard has become popular in recent years for its extreme requirements — and transformations.
Those who embark on the challenge must commit to completing two workouts a day, following a strict diet and drinking a gallon of water (along with other nutrition, fitness and self-help tasks) every day for 75 days. The challenge doesn't allow for any cheat days, slip-ups or misses — and if you do, the tally starts back at zero.
'This is the equivalent of an Iron Man, of climbing Mount Everest,' Frisella said on a 2022 episode of his podcast about the program he created.
The difficulty of 75 Hard hasn't served as a turnoff for the nearly 1 million people who have completed the program, according to its website. Daily progress photos and final transformation shots have also gone viral on both Instagram and TikTok, racking up millions of likes and views.
So what exactly is the 75 Hard challenge? Here's everything to know about the fitness craze — including how it can be potentially dangerous.
The 75 Hard challenge is not a diet or fitness plan, according to its website. Instead, it is described as a 'transformative mental toughness program' that has the power to 'change your life.'
The so-called 'Ironman for your brain' requires its participants to complete five tasks — all centered around nutrition, fitness and self-improvement — every day for 75 days. If one day — or even one task — is missed, the 75 Hard challenge stipulates that the tally of days starts back at zero.
The rules may be strict, but the results are reportedly drastic, according to the program's website.
The 75 Hard challenge has five primary rules, or core values. Those embarking on the challenge must follow a diet (with no cheat meals or alcohol), drink one gallon of water, complete two 45-minute workouts (one of which must be outdoors), take a progress picture and read 10 pages of a non-fiction book, every day.
Each of these tasks must be completed daily for 75 consecutive days to successfully complete the program.
While the program itself is rigid, the individual rules offer some leeway. For instance, the 75 Hard challenge does not dictate what specific diet or nutrition plan must be followed, allowing participants to decide what works best for their health and lifestyle.
Individuals doing the challenge are also allowed to pick their own exercise routine and reading material. This flexibility in the rules was created intentionally, according to the 75 Hard website.
'No matter where you are at physically, you can do the tasks,' it reads. 'Whether you haven't exercised in a decade, or you hit the gym 7 days a week, you can do this.'
The 75 Hard challenge was created in 2019 by entrepreneur and podcaster Andy Frisella. Frisella is the founder of a supplement store, Supplement Superstores, which has 30 locations throughout the Midwest and of a nutrition brand, 1st Phorm.
In addition to his two businesses — which reportedly bring in more than $100 million in sales a year, according to a 2017 Forbes article — the Missouri native is the host of two podcasts: The MFCEO Project and Real AF.
However, Frisella's podcasts have landed him in hot water in the past. Particularly, in September 2024, Frisella made sexist, violent and derogatory comments about female police officers on an episode of the Real AF podcast.
The episode has since been removed, and Frisella posted an additional podcast episode clarifying his remarks and another apologizing.
The rigidity of the 75 Hard challenge is a turnoff for some people and has paved the way for a less strict version of the program to emerge.
Known as 75 Soft, the modified challenge allows for alcohol consumption at social occasions, requires only one 45-minute workout a day and lessens the water goal from one gallon to three liters, according to the Cleveland Clinic. It also doesn't penalize slip-ups: If a task or a day is skipped, participants don't have to restart the challenge and can continue on toward the 75 day goal.
However, Frisella does not endorse any modifications to the 75 Hard program.
'I see people trying to change or modify the program,' he wrote on his website. 'That's the whole problem of your entire life."
He continued, 'You have to follow the program with zero compromises. Everything in 75 Hard has a purpose that you will understand once you complete the program.'
The 75 Hard program has drawn criticism from some health experts for its extreme requirements, particularly around exercise.
The New York Times reported how the challenge calls for more than four times the amount of weekly exercise recommended by federal officials (630 minutes versus 150 minutes) — which some experts warned could be too taxing for individuals who were previously inactive and lead to potential injury.
Another cause for potential concern is the 75 Hard program's daily water goal. One TikToker, Michelle Fairburn, was hospitalized in 2023 while participating in the 75 Hard challenge for a severe sodium deficiency caused by drinking too much water — also known as hyponatremia, or water toxicity.
Hyponatremia occurs when the amount of sodium in your blood becomes 'abnormally low,' according to the Mayo Clinic. When this happens, the body's water levels rise, causing cells to swell. This swelling can lead to a variety of health problems, ranging from mild to life-threatening — including seizures, coma and even, in rare cases, death.
The 75 Hard challenge has garnered the attention of thousands on social media — and even counts a few celebrities among its participants.
In January 2023, singer Joanna 'JoJo' Levesque embarked on 75 Hard, she revealed on her Instagram. She took on the program at the start of a new year as a 'commitment' rather than a resolution, and was looking to challenge her 'mental toughness,' JoJo wrote in a lengthy Instagram caption.
'I'm definitely worried that I'll cop out and not make it. That I'll prioritize my comfort over this commitment and it'll be yet another thing I've tried and not finished,' she wrote, seven days into the challenge. 'But it's THAT EXACT FEELING that compelled me to say YES when I heard about 75 Hard. I'm enjoying shifting my priorities around right now and I'm grateful I have the flexibility to do so.'
Southern Charm star Madison LeCroy also attempted 75 Hard at the start of 2025 (before announcing her second pregnancy in February). Prior to the baby news, however, she shared the meals that she was eating during the program on her Instagram Stories in early January — and let her followers in on her diet secret.
'I don't follow a specific diet. I simply make foods and meals I enjoy, especially when I'm working on a program like 75 Hard,' she wrote. 'What you see is what you get, plain and simple.'
Read the original article on People