75 Hard alternatives: 7 challenges you can actually finish

What is 75 Hard, and why look for a 75 Hard alternative?

75 Hard is a 75-day program created by Andy Frisella in 2019. It has five strict daily tasks and restarts you at Day 1 if you miss any of them. People look for a 75 Hard alternative because the rules are tough to fit around school, work or a beginner's body, and one slip wipes out weeks of effort.

In short, the official rules ask you to follow a diet with no cheat meals or alcohol, train twice a day for 45 minutes with one session outdoors, drink about a gallon of water, read 10 pages of a nonfiction book and take a progress photo, every day. Frisella's official page frames it as mental toughness training, not a fitness challenge, and says it's free. "75 Hard" is a trademark of 44Seven Media, and this page isn't affiliated with it. The official 75 Hard app had 4.5 stars from 6,407 ratings on the U.S. App Store on 14 Nov 2026.

Text version

Step	What	Detail
Daily	Follow a diet	Any plan you choose, with no cheat meals and no alcohol.
Daily	Two 45-minute workouts	One of them outdoors.
Daily	Drink about a gallon of water
Daily	Read 10 pages of nonfiction
Daily	Take a progress photo
Any miss	Start again at Day 1	Miss any task on any day and the 75 days restart.

It works for some people. But a sports psychologist interviewed by Cleveland Clinic flagged real downsides. Two daily workouts may be too much for beginners, the restart rule leaves no room for a bad day, and there's little scientific evidence behind the program.

75 Hard alternatives compared

Here's how the main options stack up against 75 Hard itself. Difficulty is our judgement, based on daily time cost and how strict each one is about misses.

1. 75 Soft

75 Soft is the closest gentler version of 75 Hard and the best fit for most people. It was created by fitness creator Stephen Gallagher on TikTok as an option for people without time for two workouts a day.

According to Garage Gym Reviews and Marathon Handbook, the usual rules are:

• Eat well, and drink alcohol only on social occasions.
• One 45-minute workout a day, with one active recovery day a week.
• Drink 3 litres of water a day.
• Read 10 pages of any book.

There's no daily photo, and most versions don't send you back to Day 1 for a slip. What it does well: keeps the daily structure and the 75-day length. Watch out for: 45 minutes a day is still a big commitment for a beginner. Start with shorter sessions if you need to.

2. 75 Medium

75 Medium sits between the two, but there's no official version, so rules vary. Cleveland Clinic says most versions include one 45- to 60-minute workout a day, eating well about 90% of the time, a daily water goal and 10 to 20 minutes of reading, journaling or meditation. Photos are optional.

Sports medicine physician Michael Dakkak told Cleveland Clinic the challenge is "designed to be accessible," and that you don't have to start over after a setback. What it does well: flexibility with a clear daily shape. Watch out for: because nobody owns the rules, write yours down on Day 1 so they don't drift.

3. A 21-day reset (do it yourself)

A 21-day reset is the shortest and most finishable alternative. You pick three to five rules, start on a Monday and add one rule each week: start, then rhythm, then proof. You can build one in a few minutes with our free 21-day plan generator.

Be clear on what 21 days is: a plan length, not a promise. In Lally and colleagues' 2010 study, new habits took a median of 66 days to feel automatic. That study also found missing one day didn't materially affect habit formation, which is why "never miss twice" works better than a restart rule. What it does well: you can see the finish line from Day 1. Watch out for: plan what comes after Day 21.

4. Winter Arc

The Winter Arc is a social media challenge where you use the end of the year to train, sleep and work with more discipline. Know Your Meme traces it to 2022, and it took off in 2024. Most people run it from October 1 or early November to December 31.

There are no official rules, so you write your own. Our Winter Arc guide has a five-rule version, three sample routines and a 21-day late-start plan. What it does well: a built-in deadline and a fresh-start feel. Watch out for: with no set rules, it's easy to write too many on Day 1.

5. Zenith: Level Up in 21 Days

Zenith: Level Up in 21 Days is our app, an original anime-inspired habit app for iPhone that turns your next 21 days into real-world daily challenges. A short free assessment feeds a planner that runs on your phone using fixed rules (not AI) and shapes a 21-day plan preview. Then each day you do the challenge in real life, mark it done yourself, and earn XP and streaks. Your character evolves as XP grows, from E Initiate (0 XP) up to S Ascendant (1,000 XP), and the plan shows as a 3D mountain from Day 1 at the base to Day 21 at the summit. You can edit the challenges in the weeks ahead, while today and past records stay protected.

Unlike 75 Hard's daily progress photo, Zenith's challenge photos are optional and private: a saved photo earns +5 XP once, stays on your iPhone and isn't proof the activity happened. Achievement cards are earned, never bought.

What it does well: the plan is built around your routine, and every challenge shows how long it takes. Its limits: it's available to pre-order on the App Store but not released yet (Apple expects Nov 20, 2026; iPhone, iOS 18 or later), it has no ratings or reviews yet, there's no Android version, no free trial and no cloud sync. It doesn't track workouts automatically or block apps. The paid journey is $12.99 a month, $59.99 a year or $69.99 once (U.S. prices) after the free assessment and preview. See the 21-day plan for how the weeks work.

6. Monk mode

Monk mode is a set period of fewer distractions and more focus on two or three goals. It fits people whose problem is attention rather than fitness, such as an exam block or a project launch.

Our monk mode guide covers rules, schedules and how long to do it. What it does well: frees up hours. Watch out for: isolation. Cut noise, not people.

7. Dopamine detox (stimulus reset)

A dopamine detox is a planned break from one instant-reward habit, like short-form video or late-night gaming. You can't actually detox dopamine. What works is fencing one habit, replacing it and tracking how it goes.

Our dopamine detox plan has a 7-day and a 21-day version, plus a dopamine menu template. What it does well: goes after the habit that's eating your time. Watch out for: it's not a fitness plan, so pair it with training if that's your goal.

What to keep from 75 Hard, whichever you pick

75 Hard gets a few things right, and every alternative on this list works better if you borrow them.

1. A fixed end date. You always know how far you have left.
2. Daily, not weekly, rules. "Every day" leaves less room to negotiate with yourself than "three times a week, at some point."
3. Reading. Ten pages a day adds up to several books over a challenge.
4. Doing it when it's inconvenient. The outdoor workout in bad weather is the most memorable part for many people. Keep one rule that tests you a little.

What you can safely drop: the restart rule, the second daily workout if you're a beginner, and anything that makes you dread the next day. A challenge you finish teaches you more than one you restart four times.

How to choose your 75 Hard alternative

Pick by your real week, not your best week.

• You liked 75 Hard but kept restarting: 75 Soft.
• You want flexibility with a daily shape: 75 Medium.
• You've quit long challenges before: a 21-day reset first, then go longer.
• It's autumn and you want to finish the year strong: Winter Arc.
• Your phone is the problem: monk mode or a dopamine detox.
• You want the plan built for you on iPhone: Zenith, once it's out (it's on App Store pre-order now).

Whatever you choose, write the rules down on Day 1, set a minimum version for bad days and decide what happens after a missed day before it happens. If you're building mental toughness, our guide to mental toughness covers what actually trains it.