Two daily 45-minute workouts. A gallon of water. 10 pages of a non-fiction book. A diet. No cheat meals or alcohol. For 75 days.
And if you mess up, you have to start over.
Does it sound like a lot? Supposedly. The program, called 75 Hard, is meant to build mental toughness. Some say the stiffness is what makes it great, and others say it makes it problematic.
Since it was created in 2019, 75 Hard has developed somewhat of a cult following, with pros posting daily progress photos and videos that sometimes garner millions of views on TikTok and Instagram. One of Reddit’s largest subreddits, with over 44,000 members, is dedicated to the program.
But are the changes beneficial and sustainable? Psychologists say that while the program may have mental health benefits, some vulnerable groups may be pushing themselves too far without benefits. Exercise experts also say the regimen can be too taxing for those who aren’t already young and active and could lead to physical injury.
“It may sound very nice and exciting and useful, but is this something that is actually ultimately useful, sustainable, good for the person?” asked Dr. Thea Gallagher, clinical psychologist and director of wellness programs at New York University.
“It would be great to have more ongoing and rigorous research around these exciting programs – the challenges,” he said.
Andy Frisella, the creator of 75 Hard and a motivational speaker, encourages people to talk to a doctor before starting the program. His team did not respond to a request for comment.
Why do people do 75 Hard?
According to Mr. Frisella, who said in a 2022 podcast episode that he spent 20 years developing 75 Hard, tens of thousands of people have completed the program, which is designed to help people build resilience, toughness and perseverance. among other features.
“This is the Iron Man equivalent of climbing Mount Everest,” Mr Frisella said on the podcast. “Whatever it is that you see all these other people doing that they’re so proud of — that’s the equivalent for your brain.”
People who completed the program said on social media that it helped them improve their confidence, lose weight, try new workouts and stick to what they set out to do. Many complete it in the first 75 days of the year, while others start whenever they need a reset.
Outdoor workouts, no cheat meals, no alcohol
The hardest part of the program varies from person to person. However, many shied away from the requirement of two daily 45-minute workouts and the avoidance of cheat meals – meaning deviating from any diet you’ve chosen for yourself – and alcohol during the programme.
Mr. Frisella explained that workouts can be of any level of intensity — even a walk. At least one of the two daily workouts must be completed outdoors.
One TikTok participant went for an outdoor walk during a snowstorm, another completed a strength workout in the rain, while another jumped rope for 45 minutes outside at night. Others switched up their indoor workouts by alternating between running, strength training, yoga and more.
By going outdoors, the program enforces the lesson that “conditions aren’t always going to be perfect,” Mr. Frisella said in a 2019 episode of his podcast.
Daily workouts should last at least three to four hours.
The plan lacks built-in rest days.
The program also insists that participants follow a diet — for example, a vegetarian, vegan or ketogenic diet — but Mr. Frisella doesn’t offer much guidance on what that should be, only that people should choose “a diet which will improve your physical health”.
Participants must follow the diet they choose without deviation or else start the program again.
Alcohol is strictly prohibited.
Accomplishing tasks can build self-confidence
“Something like this could boost someone’s confidence or mental fortitude,” said Dr. Kate Gapinski, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of San Francisco.
“When you see that you can complete something that difficult and actually sustain it for 75 days, which is a long time for a major habit change, I could see that inspiring confidence for other future difficult tasks,” he said. .
The program promotes certain behaviors that psychologists encourage their patients to adopt.
Tasks that can be completed quickly—say, 10 pages of reading a nonfiction book—are exactly the kinds of tasks that experts say can encourage people trying to change their lives.
But challenges can arise when tasks are too long or feel unsustainable. “If you do something that requires a lot of energy, motivation, commitment, the problem is that when you don’t succeed, sometimes people end up feeling discouraged and worse than when they started,” Dr. Gallagher said. .
Is program rigidity harmful?
Some participants take the program very seriously. The program “is hard for a reason,” wrote one poster on the subreddit. “If you don’t like this, go somewhere else, or at least, don’t get mad when people call you about your program modifications.”
But several health experts had concerns about such strict regimens.
The training demands could be worrisome for inactive or frail people, said Patrick J. O’Connor, a professor of kinesiology at the University of Georgia.
“Ninety minutes a day, that would be too much for some people and could cause injuries for some,” he said. “A lot of times, the biggest risk of injury is if someone goes from too little to too much.”
Mr. O’Connor pointed out that in total the program called for 630 minutes of exercise each week — that’s more than four times the amount federal officials recommend, which is 150 minutes of “moderate physical activity” and two days of strength training. .
There are also concerns about the mental health effects of such a no-opt-out program.
“I wouldn’t recommend the program to someone with an active eating disorder,” Dr. Gapinski said. “With eating disorders, we’re actually trying to expand comfort about the types of foods that are eaten,” she said, adding that moderation is emphasized in treatment.
It may be more helpful for people to find small tasks that are meaningful to them rather than choosing a prescription program, said Dr. Alexandra Gold, a clinical psychologist at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School.
“I think if someone is just given a prescription, ‘Oh, you do these things,’ it doesn’t necessarily come from them, and that’s also a big factor in consistency and sustainability,” said Dr. Gold.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, a number of modified versions of the design have emerged, including the 75 Soft. In this version, the water requirement is lower and only one daily 45-minute workout is required.
