What are the 75 Hard rules?
For 75 days in a row: follow a diet of your choice with no cheat meals and no alcohol; do two 45-minute workouts, one of them outdoors; drink one gallon of water; read ten pages of a non-fiction book; and take a progress photo. Miss any task, on any day, and you start again at day 1.
- Diet: pick one that fits your goals and follow it with zero cheat meals and zero alcohol.
- Two workouts: each 45 minutes, and one must be outside.
- Water: one gallon (about 3.8 liters), plain water.
- Reading: ten pages of a non-fiction or self-development book.
- Progress photo: one a day.
These are summarised the same way by Cleveland Clinic and Healthline, and match the official program at 75hard.com, which is free to follow. The official site also tells you to consult a physician first.
75 Hard was created by Andy Frisella; he calls it "the mental toughness program" on his official Operator Standard page. The rules above are our plain-English summary, not his wording. For official clarifications, check 75hard.com or the 75 Hard app.
What counts, and what does not?
The publisher's own FAQ settles most arguments. Audiobooks do not count as reading; a garage or covered patio does not count as outdoors; flavored water is not allowed; coffee and diet soda are allowed but do not count toward your gallon; and one 90-minute session does not replace two separate workouts.
From the 44Seven Media program FAQ, checked October 30, 2026:
| Question | Official answer (summarised) |
|---|---|
| Do audiobooks count? | No. Read an actual book (or by touch if vision impaired). |
| Garage or covered patio workout outdoors? | No. The point is exposure to the elements. |
| One 90-minute workout instead of two? | No. The workouts need a break between them. |
| How long between workouts? | Aim for ample recovery; the FAQ suggests at least 3 to 4 hours. |
| Is a 45-minute walk a workout? | Yes, if you walk with intention. |
| Coffee? | Yes, but count creamer and sugar in your diet. |
| Diet soda? | Allowed, but it does not count toward water. |
| Flavored water? | No. Plain water. |
| Must I share progress photos? | No. They can be private. |
| Can I change a task? | No. Zero substitutions. |
What are the most common 75 Hard mistakes?
The most common slips are logistical, not motivational: leaving the second workout until late evening, under-drinking early and trying to catch up at night, forgetting the photo, choosing a diet too strict to follow, and counting a podcast as reading. Most restarts come from a missing plan, not a missing will.
Fixes that work:
- Schedule both workouts the night before. Put the outdoor one first when the weather is worst later in the day.
- Front-load water. Divide the gallon into four bottles with deadlines (for example 10am, 1pm, 4pm, 7pm).
- Pick a diet you could follow at a wedding. "No sugar and no fried food" survives more real life than a crash diet.
- Read before screens. Ten pages at breakfast is done before the day gets loud.
- Set a photo alarm. Same place, same time, every day.
- Track every task, every day. The free tracker has a 75 Hard preset with all six checkboxes.
Is 75 Hard safe?
It can be demanding. Health writers flag 90 minutes of daily exercise with no rest days, a fixed gallon of water and rigid dieting as risky for some people, especially beginners or people with medical conditions. The official program itself tells you to consult a physician before starting. Treat that advice as part of the rules.
Penn State Health and Cleveland Clinic both discuss these concerns and point to gentler versions such as 75 Soft. For comparison, the US physical activity guidelines recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate activity per week plus two days of muscle strengthening (CDC); 75 Hard asks for far more. This is not medical advice.
Is there an official 75 Hard rules PDF?
The official program gives you the rules and resources free when you sign up with your email at 75hard.com. We do not host a copy of it. If you want something printable, our tracker prints a blank 75-day sheet with the five tasks, ready to stick on your fridge.
Frequently asked questions
What happens if you miss one 75 Hard task?
You restart at day 1. The official program is explicit that there are no substitutions or partial credit. The official app now lets you choose when to restart rather than resetting automatically, per its version history, but the rule itself has not changed.
Do the two workouts have to be different?
The rules say two 45-minute workouts with one outdoors; they do not require different types of exercise. The official FAQ does say the workouts need a break between them and suggests several hours of recovery, so you cannot simply run them back to back.
Can you drink anything besides water?
Yes. Coffee, tea and diet soda are allowed by the publisher's FAQ, but they do not count toward the gallon, and any creamer or sugar counts as food under your diet. Alcohol is not allowed at all, and the water itself must be plain, without flavoring.
What is the 3-hour rule in 75 Hard?
Many summaries, including Cleveland Clinic's, say the two workouts should be at least three hours apart. The publisher's own FAQ is a little looser: it asks for ample recovery and suggests at least three to four hours. Either way, two back-to-back sessions do not count as two workouts.