75 hard challenge: A fitness engine for change - Happiest Health (2024)

• Written by Neha Jain

The 75 hard challenge, doing the rounds on social media and widely taken up by fitness enthusiasts, involves committing to a specific exercise routine or workout plan for a period of 75 days (11 weeks). It’s designed to help people embrace a healthier lifestyle. Supporters insist it is not just a fitness challenge but a transformative mental toughness challenge as well.

Rules of 75 hard challenge

• Follow a diet: Diet should contain macro and micronutrients. Alcohol should be avoided, along with added sugars, and outside meals (unless it is meeting the diet plan).
• 90 minutes of workout a day: The workout must be split into two 45-minute sessions. One of the sessions should be outdoors – jogging/running, fast walking, yoga, body weight workout and any sport.
• Consume 1 gallon of water a day.
• Take progress pictures through the challenge.
• Read 10 pages of a book every day (audio books to be excluded).

“If you miss a single task on any given day the challenge resets and you have start from scratch,” says Vinay Kumar Cheekati, fitness trainer and nutrition coach from Michigan.

Kapil Kumar, a fitness coach from Hyderabad, took up the challenge recently and it helped him overcome a low phase in his life. To make the challenge more interesting he added and modified some rules.

“As a fitness coach, the actual rules of 75 hard was doable,” says Kumar. “To make it more challenging I increased the intensity of the challenge.”

The rules that Kumar modified included getting up at 4am and taking ice bath every day, meditation, praying and following a calorie deficit diet.

“The 75 hard challenge does not address recovery or rest plan. That need not be a problem if the workouts are planned in such a manner that the muscles are given enough rest, and the same workout is not repeated for next two or three days,” added Kumar.

Benefits of 75 hard challenge

This 75 hard challenge can lead to overall enhancement of health – from balanced hormones and improved gut health to strong immune system. It can improve cardiovascular health, decrease body fat, maintain blood sugar levels and helps gain more lean body mass.

This challenge improved Kumar’s self-confidence, he overcame body image issues and emotional eating. It helped him lose body fat too and pushed him to maintain consistency and not give up. There were days he was sick. Being a fitness coach he was able to design his challenge including his workout in such a way that it did not hurt his body.

“This challenge was about discovering myself and assessing my mental toughness. This challenge brought in the sense of self accomplishment,” says Kumar.

Cheekati adds: “This challenge brings in determination, mental toughness, self- esteem, confidence, courage, self- belief and self-discipline.

What after the 75 hard challenge?

“Before taking on any more challenges, I advise taking some time to unwind as the body needs time to recover from the stress they have been under in the 75 days of challenge,” says Cheekati.

After the challenge, you can return to the regular routine after indulging in a cheat meal as a reward for finishing it successfully. You can also continue living your regular life.

“You can think of yourself as a brand-new person given your degree of self-assurance, consistency, and patience. You’ll be a whole different person,” says Cheekati.

75 hard challenges also mean to inculcate the habit of regular workouts and proper diet. After completing the challenge, the things you did would have become part of your lifestyle.

Challenges of any kind are an excellent way to gauge the strength and ability to finish them because we set obstacles on the path to become what we want to be or do. A beginner attempting this challenge for improved health should exercise caution when it comes to diet, mental fortitude, cravings, and exercise regimens. Doing such challenges should be under the guidance of the fitness coach who modifies the rules based on individual traits. Otherwise, it may affect your daily activities

We can change the challenge to suit our needs. For example, you can build a 30-day or 6-week challenge for yourself instead of a 75-day challenge, depending on your objectives.

Takeaways

• The 75 hard challenge involves committing to a specific routine or plan for a continuous period of 75 days.
• There are certain tasks which needs to be completed in a day. if one misses a single task in a day the program resets.
• After the challenge, you can return to your regular routine after indulging in a cheat meal as a reward for finishing it successfully.