What is the 75 Soft Challenge and is it actually doable?

Considering trying the 75 Hard Challenge? The 75 Soft Challenge might be a better choice if you want to commit to creating new habits that don’t involve dangerous restrictions or extreme lifestyle changes.

ICYMI: the viral 75 Hard Challenge takes TikTok by storm every January (despite its launch back in 2019, the term has had over a billion views since then). It’s a hardcore daily routine that was created by entrepreneur Andy Frisella to “build mental strength and discipline”.

While countless fans of the programme have taken to social media to share their results after doing the 75-day challenge, others have questioned its potentially dangerous and extreme ‘rules’ that could trigger people into making unhealthy decisions, or cause them injury.

And so in direct response to 75 Hard came the 75 Soft Challenge – a more accessible alternative that encourages users to stick to some healthy habits for 75 days, but with far fewer restrictions. Here’s everything you need to know.

Why you need to start training for longevity.

What is the 75 Soft Challenge?

The 75 Soft Challenge does exactly what it says on the tin – it’s a 75-day routine that aims to inspire a gentle approach to wellness, with no focus on weight loss or diet culture.

The earliest version of the challenge came about in 2019, created by lifestyle site The Pohhu Experience – but the TikTok trend was inspired by Stephen Gallagher, or @StephenGFitness, on the video-sharing site. (The original video has now been removed from the platform, but the audio is still in use.)

It incorporates four rules – unlike the original, which has five – and as the name suggests, it’s a much kinder and more realistic challenge.

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What are the rules of the 75 Soft Challenge?

Since it first began trending on TikTok, it’s worth noting that the 75 Soft Challenge has seen many other iterations, with some choosing to design their own plan with rules that suit them. The original rules, however, are as follows:

Here’s a little more info, with insights from Dr Aileen Alexander, a women’s health expert:

According to Dr Alexander, ‘eating well’ is all about eating a balanced, nutrient-dense diet and drinking in moderation. But she warns that rules and challenges aren’t always the best way to create a habit – especially when it comes to drinking alcohol.

“While saving drinking for social occasions is healthy in that it omits mid-week drinking and is likely to reduce the overall frequency and thus amount of alcohol consumed – it does this by creating a rule to follow,” she tells us. “Rules tend not to work in the long term because it takes away someone’s agency. Rules can make us want to rebel by idealising the thing we’re trying to avoid, alcohol, making us want it more. It may work when they’re following it but what about when they finish? The gold standard would be to learn how to enjoy alcohol mindfully, and exercise moderation by choice by learning more about your relationship with alcohol and its perceived value or benefit – instead of following rules.”

This rule is exactly what it sounds like – train for 45 minutes every day, without missing a day. This can be any form of workout, but one day a week is to be an active recovery exercise like walking.

However, Alexander recommends building a little more flexibility into the routine.

“What happens on the days when there are big deadlines at work? Or your child is sick and off school?” she says. “Or you’re exhausted, have the flu and instead should listen to your body and rest? Should one just give up and start again? Is that healthy or is it rigid and inflexible?”

Unlike 75 Hard, there is no stipulation that you should start from day one if you miss a day or can only fit in a 20-minute workout. Our advice? Be kind to yourself and start afresh when you can.

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According to Dr Alexander, this rule is an important one.

“For most, two litres of water a day is optimal, but if you’re exercising for 45 minutes, you’ll also want to replace these lost fluids,” she tells us. “Few of us drink enough water despite knowing the many health benefits. I’d like to see some advice for building healthy hydration habits to help participants keep up this commitment long after 75 Soft finishes.”

Make sure you’re staying hydrated throughout your workouts, though it’s worth noting that everyone is unique when it comes to how much water their body needs – so look out for signs of dehydration.

While the 75 Soft Challenge stipulates that participants should choose a non-fiction book (usually one of the self-help variety), many have opted instead to read a novel that they’ve meaning to get stuck into – an excuse to finally open up that viral best-seller, right?

“Reading is a fantastic way to unwind and relax while learning something new, whether it’s fiction or non-fiction,” says Dr Alexander. “For bonus points, creating a regular space where you can unwind with a book will help to reduce stress and may improve sleep.

What are the rules of the 75 Hard Challenge?

The 75 Hard Challenge is much harder to incorporate into everyday life. The regime makes no room for ‘mistakes’ either, since the rules state that if you don’t hit any of your goals each day, you must start the 75-day challenge again:

“There are so many wonderful things about you; don’t lose sight of that when you look in the mirror.”

Why is the 75 Soft Challenge more realistic than 75 Hard?

The 75 Hard Challenge requires participants to religiously “follow a diet” and drink no alcohol (any diet will do, apparently, without giving any advice or caveats), do two 45 minute workouts a day (one outside, no matter the weather), drink a gallon of water, read 10 pages of inspirational non-fiction a day and take a picture of your body everyday.

For anyone with any sort of disordered relationship with food or exercise, or anyone who leans towards more obsessive behaviour, this could trigger some potentially dangerous habits. And while the challenge states it is for “mental toughness” rather than anything to do with weight loss, the idea of taking daily ‘transformational’ photos certainly suggests a focus on appearance rather than wellbeing.

While the 75 Soft Challenge encourages participants to move their bodies every day, it incorporates active rest and suggests limiting drinking alcohol rather than removing it completely. The rule of “eating well” is much more expansive, and Stephen’s own meals always included a variety of food groups, rather than anything controlling.

It’s worth noting, though, that any form of fitness ‘routine’ could be seen as restrictive – and Dr Alexander advises approaching even the 75 Soft with caution.

“I like the overall concept and think the 75 Soft is a great starting point for many,” she says. “However, I have concerns about the rule-based approach, particularly around food, alcohol and exercise. While these rules are more relaxed than 75 Hard, they may still lead to all-or-nothing tendencies. For women, this can create feelings of failure if they’re not sticking to it perfectly. This may cause them to give up altogether. This could be particularly dangerous for women who already have a challenging relationship with food or their bodies. ”

It’s a new trend called ‘Stacking Strength Training in Follicular’ (or SSTiF).

What are people saying about the viral challenges?

While some people enjoy extreme challenges and the difficult nature of them, others have spoken out about how they felt the 75 Hard Challenge would be triggering, or that the rigidity of the routine is unnecessary.

“While the approach promotes quality nutrition, alcohol reduction, regular exercise, increased hydration and downtime while reading, it overlooks teaching women about the science of healthy eating and how to listen to their bodies,” adds Dr Alexander. “It doesn’t touch on sustainable healthy habits such as eating mindfully so they can eat and exercise in a healthy yet intuitive way. It doesn’t cover the nuances of life such as work pressures, poorly children or illness and could lead to women overextending themselves when their bodies are crying out for rest.”

“When you want to do it but you have ADHD and a history of eating disorders, so it’s probs a bad idea and you’ll forget you’re even doing the challenge,” one TikTok user commented under a viral video on the 75 Hard Challenge. Another responded: “Or… enjoy things in moderation and get long-term results.”

Others have noted how difficult it is to incorporate certain elements of the 75 Hard into their jobs and schedules. One TikToker, who is a teacher, noted that she only gets a certain number of toilet breaks during her day, and so the water intake goal was just too much.

Of the 75 Soft Challenge, however, many are loving it as a way to kickstart a routine without feeling it’s being taken to restrictive or extreme behaviours. “Ah, yes. Finally, [a] SUSTAINABLE challenge that is realistically attainable!” one commented.

Others have created their own versions of the challenge, incorporating journaling or mindfulness instead of any control when it comes to food, and some have even introduced a ‘75 medium’ challenge, which falls in between the Hard and the Soft.