What are the best alternatives to 75 Hard?
The most common alternatives are 75 Soft (four looser rules, no restart), 75 Medium (one workout, a 90% diet rule and meditation), a 66-day habit challenge, Couch to 5K, an alcohol-free month and a custom 30-day sprint. If you want something harder, the official next step is LIVEHARD Phase 1.
Our ranking is a judgment of daily time and strictness, not a scientific scale. Health needs differ, so if you have a medical condition, ask a professional before choosing.
| Rank | Challenge | Length | Daily load | Miss a day? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (hardest) | LIVEHARD Phase 1 | 30 days | Two workouts + cold shower + extra tasks | Restart the phase |
| 2 | 75 Hard | 75 days | Two 45-min workouts + four more tasks | Restart at day 1 |
| 3 | 75 Medium | 75 days | One 45-min workout + five habits | Usually no restart |
| 4 | 75 Soft | 75 days | One 45-min workout + three habits | No restart |
| 5 | 66-day habit challenge | 66 days | One to three habits you choose | Your rule |
| 6 | Couch to 5K | 9 weeks | Three runs a week | Repeat the week |
| 7 | Alcohol-free month | 31 days | One rule | Keep going |
| 8 (easiest) | Custom 30-day sprint | 30 days | Two or three small tasks | Your rule |
What is harder than 75 Hard?
LIVEHARD Phase 1 is the official step up: 30 days of every 75 Hard task plus a five-minute cold shower, ten minutes of visualization and three extra critical tasks. It belongs to the year-long program that follows 75 Hard, so it is only open to people who have finished the 75 days.
Details, dates and failure rules are in Phase 1, 2 and 3 explained.
What is 75 Medium?
75 Medium is a community-made middle ground with no official rulebook. Common versions ask for one 45-to-60-minute workout a day, following your diet about 90% of the time, a daily water target, ten minutes of reading or learning, and five to ten minutes of meditation or prayer. Most versions do not restart you for a miss.
Cleveland Clinic notes that rules vary and that most versions limit alcohol, added sugar and processed food. Some popular versions ban alcohol entirely. Pick one version, write it down and do not change it mid-way. Full details: 75 Medium rules.
What is 75 Soft?
75 Soft is the most popular gentler version: eat well with alcohol only on social occasions, one 45-minute workout a day with one active-recovery day each week, three liters of water, and ten pages of any book. Missing a day does not mean a restart, according to Cleveland Clinic's summary.
See the 75 Soft rules, or compare all three in 75 Hard vs 75 Soft vs 75 Medium.
What is a 66-day challenge?
A 66-day challenge means repeating one to three chosen habits every day for 66 days. The number comes from a 2010 study by Lally and colleagues, which found a median of 66 days for a new daily behaviour to feel automatic, with a wide range of 18 to 254 days. It suits people who want specific habits to stick.
We explain the research and how to set one up in The 66-Day Challenge.
Is Couch to 5K a good 75 Hard alternative?
Yes, if your main goal is fitness and you are starting from little or no running. The NHS Couch to 5K plan builds you up to running five kilometres over nine weeks with three runs a week, which leaves recovery days. It is narrower than 75 Hard but far more forgiving for beginners.
The plan and its free app are on the NHS Couch to 5K page. Pair it with daily reading and water in the tracker if you want a broader routine.
What about an alcohol-free month?
An alcohol-free month, such as the Dry January campaign run by the charity Alcohol Change UK, is a one-rule challenge: no alcohol for 31 days. It is the lightest structured option here but targets one of 75 Hard's hardest rules. It works well as a bridge after finishing or before restarting.
Details are on the Alcohol Change UK Dry January page.
How do you build your own 30-day challenge?
Pick two or three tasks you could do on your worst day, set a 30-day window and decide in advance what happens if you miss. Write it down. Short, specific and honest beats ambitious and vague. Use the custom preset in our free tracker and print the sheet so the rules are on paper.
Good starter combinations: a 20-minute walk + 10 pages + no phone in bed; or one workout + water target + plan tomorrow tonight.
Frequently asked questions
What is the easiest version of 75 Hard?
Among the well-known 75-day versions, 75 Soft is the easiest: one workout with a weekly recovery day, three liters of water, ten pages of any book and eating well, with no restart for a miss. A shorter custom challenge is easier still if 75 days feels like too much.
Is there a 75 Hard alternative for beginners?
Yes. A 30-day custom sprint or Couch to 5K is a sensible first step, and 75 Soft is a good second one. Health writers quoted by Penn State Health and Cleveland Clinic suggest gentler versions for people who are new to exercise.
Can you make up your own 75 Hard rules?
You can create your own challenge, but then it is not 75 Hard, which has fixed rules with no substitutions. Give your version its own name, write the rules down before day 1, and track it honestly. Calling it what it is keeps you from moving the goalposts.