75 day challenge: Hard, Soft and Medium compared
The 75 day challenge is a set of daily rules you keep for 75 days in a row: exercise, a diet, water, reading and, in some versions, a progress photo. 75 Hard is the original, created by Andy Frisella, and the strictest. Miss one rule on one day and you start again at day 1. 75 Soft and 75 Medium are gentler community versions with no single owner, so their rules vary.
The trackers for all three are free, run in your browser and need no sign-up.
Three versions, one length
75 Hard
Five rules, every day, for 75 days. Miss one and you start again at day 1.
Start tracking 75 Hard75 Soft
Four gentler rules for 75 days, with one rest day from training each week.
Start tracking 75 Soft75 Medium
The middle way: one workout a day with a weekly rest day, a diet, water and reading.
Start tracking 75 Medium
75 day challenge rules compared
| Rule | 75 Hard | 75 Soft | 75 Medium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Length | 75 days in a row | 75 days in a row | 75 days in a row |
| Workouts | Two 45-minute workouts a day, one outdoors | One 45-minute workout a day | One 45-minute workout a day |
| Rest days | None | One a week, as active recovery | One a week |
| Diet | The diet you chose, with no cheat meals and no alcohol. | Eat well, and drink alcohol only on social occasions. | A diet you chose, with no alcohol. |
| Water | One US gallon, about 3.8 litres or 128 oz. | Three litres, about 101 oz. | Three litres, about 101 oz. |
| Reading | Ten pages of a non-fiction or self-improvement book. Audiobooks do not count. | Ten pages of any book. | Ten pages of any book. |
| Progress photo | One photo a day | Not part of it | Optional in most versions |
| Miss a day | Start again at day 1 | Most versions: carry on. A strict restart is optional. | Most versions: carry on. A strict restart is optional. |
75 Soft and 75 Medium have no single owner, so their rules vary between versions. These are the common ones, and the ones used on this site. Rules checked October 2026.
Which one should you pick?
Start with 75 Soft if you do not train most days now. One workout a day with a weekly active recovery day is already a big change, and a finished 75 Soft teaches you more than a 75 Hard you restart in week two.
Pick 75 Medium when 75 Soft feels easy but two workouts a day does not fit your life. It keeps one workout and a weekly rest day, and tightens the diet to no alcohol.
Pick 75 Hard if you want rules with no judgement calls and you have the time. Two 45-minute sessions are at least 90 minutes of training every day, plus changing and getting outside, for 75 days with no rest day. That time cost, more than the water or the reading, is the part to plan for: work out where both sessions go in a normal week before you choose it.
Whichever one you pick, settle two things before day 1: your diet rule, and what happens if you miss a day. Rules made up on day 20 tend to be the ones that let you off.
One limit: there is no good data on how many people finish each version, and this page will not guess.
Questions people ask
Who created 75 Hard?
Andy Frisella created 75 Hard. 75 Soft and 75 Medium came later as community versions with no single owner, which is why their rules vary from one version to the next.
Is 75 Medium the same as 75 Soft?
No. Both ask for one 45-minute workout a day with one rest or recovery day a week, 3 litres of water and 10 pages of any book. 75 Medium asks for a diet you chose with no alcohol, and most versions make a progress photo optional. 75 Soft says eat well, allows alcohol on social occasions, and has no photo.
What happens if you miss a day?
In 75 Hard you start again at day 1. 75 Soft and 75 Medium have no fixed rule, and most versions let you carry on. The 75 Soft and 75 Medium trackers let you choose a strict restart if you want one.
Do I need an app to track it?
No. The 75 Hard, 75 Soft and 75 Medium trackers on this site run in your browser with no sign-up, and each one can be printed as a checklist. Progress is saved in your browser, or in a free account if you want it on any device.
Is 75 Hard safe?
For many healthy adults the rules are manageable, but two workouts a day with no rest day and a gallon of water a day are a lot for 75 days. Check with a doctor before you start if you have a medical condition, are pregnant, or are new to exercise.
Is there a 75 Medium tracker?
Yes, and it is free. It tracks one 45-minute workout a day with a weekly rest day, a diet with no alcohol, 3 litres of water and 10 pages of reading. The progress photo has its own row and is optional, so a day is complete without it.
Free trackers and tools
For a shorter run first, or for one rule on its own.
- 75 Hard trackerA free 75 Hard tracker: tick off the five daily rules and watch your 75-day grid fill up.
- 75 Soft challenge trackerA free 75 Soft challenge tracker: tick off four daily rules, take your weekly rest day, and watch a 75-day grid fill up.
- 75 Medium challenge trackerA free 75 Medium challenge tracker: one workout a day, a diet with no alcohol, water and reading, with a weekly rest day and a 75-day grid.
- 30 day challenge trackerA numbered, dated box for every day of the challenge, and the finish date before you begin.
- No sugar challenge trackerPick a length from 7 to 60 days, choose which version of the rules you are keeping, and tick each evening you held. Every box carries its date, so a missed day shows.
- Water intake calculatorYour daily water in ounces, litres and glasses, from your weight, your exercise and the weather. The formula and its sources are under the result.
- Reading goal calculator52 books of 300 pages is 43 pages a day over a full year. Starting today, it is more. This works out your number from the days actually left.
Read next
- What happens if you miss a day of a habit? Less than it feels like8 minOne missed day barely slows a habit down. The two days after it decide whether you lost a day or the habit. Here is what to do with them.
- How to keep habits on weekends, when the schedule disappears6 minWeekday habits ride on a schedule you did not build. Weekends remove it, and that is the whole reason your grid goes patchy on Saturdays.
Start with three habits and one month.
You will know by the end of it whether this is the tracker that sticks. That is a shorter test than most things you have tried.