If you’ve been following the 75 Hard Challenge on social media, you may have seen some of its downsides. This challenge is very extreme and can be dangerous if it's not done correctly. If you want a more effective alternative to the extreme plan, check out our 75 Soft Challenge!
75 Hard Challenge Insights
First we will take a look at the 75 hard challenge. This extreme challenge came out in early 2020 created by Andy Frisella that basically is 6 rules to follow for 75 days. Many people have claimed amazing transformations that have changed their life forever. What you don't hear are the many failures that also change people's lives for the worse.
Andy Frisella doesn't have any medical background literally made this up on a whim to create some social media buzz and get some traction on his supplement company. This worked great for him and great for many people out there. The problem is it is such a rigid challenge that many fail and are worse off than they were before.
The 6 Main Rules
- Follow a Diet along with absolutely no alcohol.
- Two 45 minute workouts a day with one being outside
- No cheat meals at all
- Take a selfie progress pic every day
- Drink an entire gallon of water every day
- Read 10 pages of personal development books (No audiobooks)
6 simple rules that yes while followed with help you get to your goals in a hurry. But not being able to break these rules at all can add chaos to your life by itself. Routines and structure are great ways to get your life on track, but going to hard to quick can lead to complete failure.
What Happens When You Break A Rule?
This is where the never ending cycle of failure begins. When you break 1 rule don't matter what one or how little you broke it or for what reason you have to start the entire challenge over.
Most anybody in their right mind including personal trainers, dieticians, doctors and nutritionists would say this is probably a bad idea to do this. If you are already having major physical and mental issues this can lead to more of them, unfortunately. So no there are no modifications for 75 hard.
Now onto the a more doable challenge you can build on.
What Is The 75 Soft Challenge?
The 75 Soft Challenge or 75 Easy Challenge and some call it is a this is a fun and easy challenge that can be done even while working full-time. You make it fun by setting the rules. This doesn't mean you don't try to get a bit uncomfortable so you can challenge yourself at the same time.
The soft challenge is all about a flexible diet, exercise, and personal growth to help you feel and look your best. Bye obtaining these simple goals you can continue to build a better you both physically and mentally.
So How Do I Do The 75 Soft Challenge?
The easiest way to do the 75 Soft Challenge is to modify the rules of the 75 Hard. Below is an example of this so just pick a date commit either start right now, tomorrow or next Monday whatever works best for you.
- Eat Healthy Food (Diet) 80-90% of the time. So Simply 8-9 out of every 10 meals.
- Workout 3-4X a week for at least 30 minutes. A great simple workout plan to follow is LIIFT4 by Beachbody that is 4 daysa week.
- Take progress pics on Day 1, Day 30, Day 60 and Day 75
- Consume half your body weight in liquid (mostly water) a day
- Meditate 5+ minutes a day (Simple go to youtube and look at 5 minute meditations to follow for free)
- Listen or Read 10 minutes of an inspirational self development book.
75 Soft Checklist
Carry the checklist around with you all day by simply typing it up on your phone and saving as your screen saver or lock screen. So you are reminded of your goals to get to where you want to be.
If you break one of the rules so be it start your next day where you left off before the mistake and keep a positive mindset. Life gets in the way especially if you have kids, family, work, etc.
So don't hang your head one meal isn't what got you overweight it was the accumulation of many meals. That's why we say every 8-9 meals so going a week straight is without going off the wagon will make some great changes.
What Diet For 75 Soft?
This is up to you, but choose foods that make you feel good and keep you moving. We personally usually lean toward Keto and intermittent fasting and even OMAD.
Mainly because we are so busy that we don't get to sit down to eat as much so we back load our calories later in the day and try not to eat after 6 or 7pm at night.
So a simple example for us would be:
- Keto OMAD – eat one meal a day most days and up to 2 on the weekends. Eating mostly Rib Eye and Ground beef. The big no no's: Bread, Pasta and Potatoes
- Follow LIIFT4 workout 4 days a week with that program and go for walks on the off days.
- Take our pic today and day 35 then day 75
- Get a 100 ounce container (since currently way 200 lbs) to drink every day
- Download free mediation app on iPhone called “Balance” (free for year)
- Download Audible Book Relentless by Tim Grover listen to 10 minutes a day
Motivation for 75 Soft
It is easy to get discouraged if this routine isn't perfect for you adjust to your liking. Lets say it is the Holidays and you know you can't eat healthy 90% of the time drop it to 70% of the time. 1 out of every 7 days is still not bad at all and you will still see some great progress.
Go for a long walk 3 times a week that is a great start if you aren't working out.
Final Thoughts On 75 Soft Challenge
The 75 Soft Challenge is a great alternative to the extreme plan that can still be effective in making positive changes for your health. All you have to do is make some small adjustments to how you incorporate diet, exercise, and personal growth into your life on a daily basis. It's also important not to get discouraged when things don't go perfectly every day because setbacks are inevitable – just try your best each day! Remember: it isn't about being perfect all of the time; it's about progress over perfection.
Good luck to you on your journey remember one day doesn't make a difference it is about being as consistent as you can be over the long haul. Creating good habits then when you break them being able to jump back on that horse like nothing happened.
