What is 75 HARD?

I have began 75Hard! Wait… What is 75 Hard? 75 Hard is a challenge developed by Andy Frissela the founder of 1st Phorm supplements and the REAL AF Podcast. Andy describes 75 Hard as an Iron Man for the mind. He actually came up with the idea for the program while on a podcast with the Iron Cowboy himself, James Lawrence. James is known for completing an Ironman in 50 states in 50 days. Crazy right? So we know 75 Hard has to be nuts. I would describe Andy as raw and real. He speaks his mind and has a powerful story. I definitely recommend giving his podcast a try or reading the 75 Hard book that he wrote. Let’s get into the meat of 75 Hard and I will discuss how I am following the guidelines. Andy is very upfront that this is not a diet program but a Battlefield for the mind to breed Mental Toughness.

I am currently on day 24 so you could say I am 1/3 a way through the challenge and one important note to make, if you break one of the rules listed below, you got it, you have to start ALL OVER at Day 1!

"If you are going to cultivate mental toughness, you need to know how to master the monotonous." - Andy Frisella

75 Hard is made of 5 rules to follow and they are:

Take a progress pic everyday
Drink 1 gallon of water
Complete Two 45 minute workouts (1 must be outside)
Follow a Diet (No Alcohol)
Read 10 pages of a Nonfiction book

Well, so far this challenge has gone fairly smooth except for a couple days, I also have a feeling today will be hard to complete as well. The second 45 minute workout has been my biggest hurdle. I am doing my best to not listen to what Andy calls “your little bitch voice” that is inside my head telling me that I can’t do it. Let’s visit each of the rules and I will go over how I am taking it on.

Rule 1 Take Progress Photo Everyday!

This one can be a little awkward at first, but I believe it is vital to see visual progress in your transformation. I take my pic first thing in the morning when I wake up. I am using the 75 Hard app to help track my progress. In reality, this challenge does not cost a dime, but I did purchase the app and book to get the full experience. I am currently down 3.6 lbs and can see a noticeable difference. (Picture is Day 1 vs. Day 23).

Rule 2 Drink 1 gallon of water a Day

I have been using a Gallon Jug of water and refilling it. I just straight chug it out of the gallon. I had a Joy Water bottle that includes time stamps on the side but I dropped and broke it. The gallon jug is just fine. It does not bother me that the water is lukewarm. I just drink it. You can develop your own strategy for this but this is mine. I read many comments on this challenge and several people said this was the hardest part of the challenge, but not me. I also feel drinking a gallon of water has made the biggest difference.

Rule 3 Complete Two 45 minute workouts (1 must be outside)

I will say this has been the most difficult for me and I love to workout. I usually can get the first one in with no problem but the second one takes some organizing and planning. Once I am out for summer (Im a teacher), this task will become much easier, but its called 75 Hard right?

Rucking has become the workout of choice. I have became somewhat addicted to it over past year with my Men’s workout group F3 and since I am dealing with some minor running injuries, rucking has been the way to go. I just love it. Rucking is simply walking with weight on your back. I use the GORUCK Brand bag and plate carrier. I will leave links below incase you are interested. I will typically do a ruck early in the A.M. and then another one later, either during my lunch or after work. Some days an F3 workout will take the place of a workout and others Manual labor. I will also leave between 15 and 30 min during the week to do some other types of fitness using body weight, sandbag, or weights. On day 21, it was 10:30 at night, I was in my bed and still have not completed my second workout, so I did not let the “little bitch voice” creep in. Everyone was asleep and I got up and got it done. I could not take the thought of starting over.

Rule 4 Follow a Diet (No Alcohol)

Thats right “No Alcohol”. I actually stopped drinking in January of 2020, so this was not an issue with me and I went through some what of a transformation starting on that day. I lost 20 lbs by simply giving up alcohol and tracking my calories putting my body in a caloric deficit. I tracked my calories for 435 days straight! I can see the diet portion being a struggle for most. Andy does not provide a specific diet to follow. You make the choice whether it is keto, carnivore, plant based, or do what I do and put your body in a calorie deficit. This portion will also provide the most noticeable changes physically for most which is why the daily pics are important. It’s only 75 days people, you can do it. Research says only 66 days are needed to form a habit, so by the end of this you will be in great shape! I will say this, I tried for years to outwork a bad diet, it does not work! Until I began tracking my meals and taking inventory of the foods I was consuming, I did not make changes.

Rule 5 Read 10 pages of a nonfiction book

I started with the Andy Frisella 75 Hard book. It is an easy read but gives you background on the challenge and Andy himself. I love to read and 10 pages is very manageable. I am currently reading How to Win and Influence People by Dale Carnegie, The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman, and The One Thing by Gary Keller. There is so much knowledge in these books, I usually end up reading more than 10 pages.