What Fitness Pros Want You to Know About the 75 Soft Challenge
If you’re looking for a way to make healthy lifestyle changes, you may have come across a few viral fitness trends, like the 12-3-30 walking treadmill routine. The 75 Soft Challenge is another to note, as it’s essentially a more manageable version of 75 Hard, a mental and physical fitness program designed by Andy Friscella in 2019.
75 Hard involves “a very intense schedule for people to get in shape and help out with mental toughness,” explains Jim White, R.D.N., A.C.S.M. Ex-P, owner of Jim White Fitness and Nutrition Studios. “75 Soft is a less intense and less time-consuming fitness and mental health plan as opposed to 75 Hard. 75 Soft can allow for a better, less strenuous schedule. But also meet the same goals and receive the same results.”
Meet the experts: Jim White, R.D.N., A.C.S.M. Ex-P, owner of Jim White Fitness and Nutrition Studios; Teresa Behrend Fletcher, Ph.D., program director and professor of sport and human performance at Adler University focusing on sport psychology; Milica McDowell, P.T., certified exercise physiologist and VP of Operations at Gait Happens.
Ahead, experts explain everything you need to know before deciding whether you should try 75 Soft—including the rules, potential benefits, how it compares to 75 Hard, who the challenge is best for, and who should avoid it.
What is the 75 Soft Challenge?
The 75 Soft Challenge is an alternative to the 75 Hard Challenge. It gained popularity in recent years on TikTok, offering a less intense way for people to join in on the popular fitness and mental toughness regimen designed by Friscella. 75 Soft adapts some of the more intense rules found in 75 Hard to make it more manageable. While 75 Hard offers little to no wiggle room or margin for error, 75 Soft may be more effective for those new to fitness or those with busy schedules.
75 Soft Challenge rules
Below, find the most popular take on 75 Soft Challenge rules with advice from the experts.
Follow a healthy eating plan
Like 75 Hard, 75 Soft encourages you to follow a healthy eating plan that works for you. However, while 75 Hard requires you to abstain from alcohol or “cheat meals” (deviations from your chosen healthy eating plan), 75 Soft rules denote that alcohol may be consumed on special occasions.
Whether you choose to take on the 75 Soft Challenge or the 75 Hard Challenge, it’s important to make sure that you are eating well and eating the right amount. Milica McDowell, P.T., certified exercise physiologist and VP of Operations at Gait Happens suggests consulting a dietitian or other nutrition professional “to make sure you aren’t under-fueling with the additional training load.”
Workout once every day for 45 minutes, with one active recovery day per week
75 Soft rules reduce the amount of daily workouts from two to only one. “Many think they need to reach an hour and a half in the gym for it to be a ‘good’ session,” White explains, noting that long-term consistency is much more important than longer workouts for lasting results.
“I would recommend finding multiple ways to be physically active because just one may not be sustainable, and add variety with solo activity in addition to working out with a partner or group,” says Teresa Behrend Fletcher, Ph.D., program director and professor of sport and human performance at Adler University. “I recommend trying at least one new activity every year to keep things fresh. The same goes for diet and self-improvement: Trying new things is how we learn and grow, so variety can prevent boredom and burnout.”
Unlike 75 Hard, 75 Soft encourages taking one day of active recovery per week, which White explains is a term used for movement that is easier on the body—it allows your muscles to recover while still allowing for intentional movement like yoga, stretching, walking, or even massage therapy.
Drink three liters of water per day
“Over half of our body is made up of water,” White says. “Water is needed to break down our food, assist with cell reproduction, deliver oxygen, regulate body temperature, and so much more. That’s a lot that needs to be replenished throughout the day so that we stay healthy.”
Drinking more water will likely benefit almost everybody (it has been shown to help you live a longer life, after all). 75 Soft slightly lowers the required amount from 75 Hard’s one gallon per day to three liters per day.
Read 10 pages of a book every day
75 Hard specifies that the book you read each day should be non-fiction, which is meant to enhance your “mental transformation.” However, White, who has done both 75 Hard and 75 Soft, explains that for 75 Soft, “the type of book is completely up to you.”
It’s all about building the habit of reading a few pages each day and taking the time to think and reflect. White says that some people doing 75 Soft will even replace reading with journaling or listening to a podcast. “Don’t just read for the sake of checking it off the list...make it meaningful to you at this moment,” says Behrend Fletcher. “It may take time to find the right source, but invest in making this activity meaningful.”
75 Soft vs. 75 Hard
In a nutshell, 75 Soft is a more practical and realistic version of 75 Hard. Compare the key differences below:
75 Soft
For 75 days:
Follow a healthy eating plan of your choice
Consume alcohol only on special occasions
Workout once every day for 45 minutes, with one active recovery day per week
Drink three liters of water per day
Read 10 pages of any book each day (may substitute 10 minutes of a podcast or journaling)
75 Hard
For 75 days:
Follow a healthy eating plan of your choice
Consume no alcohol
Workout twice every day for 45 minutes each, with no rest days
Drink one gallon of water per day
Read 10 pages of a non-fiction book each day
If you fail any of the above rules on a given day, you must start over from day one
75 Soft draws on the same principles as 75 Hard but requires less time each day and offers participants more grace—especially for those who “fail” one or more of the rules on a given day. Part of what makes 75 Hard so intense is that it requires you to start over from day one if you don’t adhere to all of the rules one day—whether you’re on day two or day 74.
“As a doctor of physical therapy, exercise physiologist, and trainer, I think there’s a very slim percentage of the population who can get through 75 hard uninjured, or without experiencing burnout,” explains McDowell. “The 75 hard schedule is extremely demanding, and unless you are going into it uninjured and well-trained, it’s likely going to be a disaster. Asking folks who aren’t conditioned to take on twice-a-day workouts without a rest day doesn’t really honor any of the principles of exercise physiology that are required for healthy adaptation.” However, McDowell says that 75 Soft (while still demanding) is a much more doable way to embark on the challenge.
The 75 Soft Challenge is easier to follow and offers more flexibility, but it still offers clear, tangible guidelines. “It is structured and presented as a list that can be checked off as you complete each task. This leads to feeling a sense of accomplishment [and] in this sense, is a great incentive and provides some individuals with exactly what they need to kickstart their lifestyle changes,” explains Behrend Fletcher. “These changes are difficult and require structure, discipline, commitment, and intrinsic motivation—and this program may provide this for some people.”
What experts think
Experts agree that for most individuals, 75 Soft is a much more healthy and realistic way to introduce lifestyle changes than 75 Hard. However, there are still a few things to be mindful of when beginning any fitness challenge to protect your mental and physical health.
Before starting either challenge, Behrend Fletcher suggests beginning with “some honest reflection” about what you’d like the outcome to look like and how you can best set yourself up to achieve those goals. Assess your strengths and weaknesses when it comes to diet, exercise, and self-care—and build in ways to find joy in the challenge to avoid burnout.
It’s also important to prepare yourself for delayed gratification. “Lifestyle changes need to be maintained over a long period of time and be adapted to life circumstances,” Behrend Fletcher explains. “People need to be realistic and understand that this program will not fix anything in 75 days, it is only meant to initiate the change process and provide some structure for doing something differently.”
Lastly, know that once the 75 days are over, you should still work toward the healthy lifestyle you envisioned for yourself on day one. “The overall benefit of 75 Soft includes building habits,” White says. “Keeping them consistent even after the 75 days is over is the most important part.”
Who should try it?
If you’ve ever been curious about trying 75 Hard but found the rules and guidelines too challenging for your schedule, 75 Soft might be an option for you. White acknowledges that 75 Hard is more doable for a person with a remote work schedule and fewer obligations, while 75 Soft offers a way for those with longer workdays and commutes to challenge themselves similarly.
Experts agree that the ideal candidate for a challenge like 75 Hard or 75 Soft is a person who already has some healthy lifestyle habits in place. “If you already eat a healthy diet, then sticking to that diet with minor modifications is not going to be terribly taxing,” Behrend Fletcher says. Similarly, if you already work out regularly, scheduling a 45-minute session each day likely won’t be too drastic.
Who should avoid 75 Soft?
While Fletcher explains that beginning a challenge like 75 Soft may be appropriate for someone experienced with regular workouts and other healthy lifestyle habits, the challenge is unsuitable for someone brand new to these habits. “For someone in the beginning stages of change and who must be educated about diet and exercise, this [challenge] may be too much,” Fletcher says. Instead, gradually learn what works best for your body and slowly build healthy habits before beginning a regimented challenge that may cause you to feel burned out or discouraged if you can’t adhere to all the rules.
Similarly, McDowell emphasizes that you should be in a healthy place mentally and physically before starting the challenge. If you have any injuries, have little to no fitness baseline, a poor or erratic sleep schedule, or mental health concerns, McDowell says you may not be a proper candidate for 75 Soft. And, it’s always best to consult a physician before starting any new fitness regimen.
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