• Home
  • Health & Wellness
  • Disclaimer
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • DMCA Notice
Podcast
  • Home
  • Health & Wellness
  • Disclaimer
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • DMCA Notice
24/7 Health News
No Result
View All Result
Home Article

75 Hard: what you need to know before taking on this viral fitness challenge

September 1, 2022
in Article
0
75 Hard: what you need to know before taking on this viral fitness challenge
file 20220901 11 8kz4wl
The challenge’s rules are very strict. El Nariz/ Shutterstock

Every week there seems to be a new fitness challenge trending online. But one that’s managed to remain popular over the last couple of years is the 75 Hard Challenge. On TikTok alone, the hashtag #75Hard has more than 1.2 billion views.

It’s easy to see why this particular challenge has remained so popular, with video after video of people showing off their staggering body transformations – which they claim are the result of the challenge.

The 75 Hard challenge is not for the faint of heart. In short, it involves doing each of the following daily for 75 days:

  • Two 45-minute workouts
  • Following a diet (whatever diet you choose)
  • Reading ten pages of a non-fiction book
  • Drinking 4.5 litres of water

If any component is failed, the challenge must start again from day one.


Quarter life, a series by The Conversation

This article is part of Quarter Life, a series about issues affecting those of us in our twenties and thirties. From the challenges of beginning a career and taking care of our mental health, to the excitement of starting a family, adopting a pet or just making friends as an adult. The articles in this series explore the questions and bring answers as we navigate this turbulent period of life.

You may be interested in:

Quiet quitting: why doing less at work could be good for you – and your employer

Men’s fertility also declines with age — here’s what to know if you’re planning to wait to have kids

Gossip has long been misunderstood – here’s how it can help your work and social life


The creator of this challenge claims that completing it will allow you to change your life forever and lead to career success, greater confidence and better relationships alongside being physically fit. There’s currently no scientific evidence to support these claims.

Although the requirements of the 75 Hard challenge are pretty outlandish by most people’s standards, seeing the transformations and online testimonials of how the challenge changed lives may explain why many continue to be curious about it.

Here’s what to know if you’re thinking about giving it a try.

Is it safe?

The two main components of the 75 Hard challenge (eating right and exercising regularly) are of course good for your health. Plenty of research shows that proper diet and regular exercise lowers the risk of obesity and can prevent chronic and age-related diseases, including some cancers and cardiovascular disease.

But in order for diet and exercise to be effective, they must be done in a safe way.

When exploring the safety (and injury risk) of exercise, one of the most important considerations is physical load. This is the combination of how much, how hard, and how often you exercise.

If you have a high physical load (such as exercising intensely seven days a week), you are more likely to suffer from injuries, illness or other issues – such as overtraining syndrome. Overtraining syndrome typically happens when you train too much and and recover too little between exercise. It can lead to fatigue, which may also increase risk of injury.

A young woman wearing athletic wear grips her ankle in pain.
Working out twice a day every day could lead to injury.
AstroStar/ Shutterstock

Previous injuries, age, and even weight can also further increase your risk of injury. These factors will also determine whether or not you can tolerate a high training load.

For most people, training twice a day for 75 days is likely to be too much for them. To reduce the risk of injury it’s widely recommended to split training sessions up and schedule in rest and recovery days.

Not recovering properly or giving yourself rest days may also affect your fitness – and may actually make it harder to see the results you might be hoping to see when following the 75 Hard challenge.

Diet and sleep also have a large effect on your ability to recover well and fuel exercise. But everyone’s needs are different, so it’s important to listen to your body. Many generic diets won’t work for everyone, so adapt the diet you follow as necessary.

Is it life changing?

From a psychological perspective, we can also recognise the potential positive impact of fitness challenges such as 75 Hard on wellbeing, self-esteem and mental health.

But a person’s success in completing a challenge like 75 Hard may be underpinned by the type of motivation they have for doing so. According to the “self-determination theory”, every person has a different type of motivation for doing something.

These range from more beneficial to less beneficial types. It’s not simply about how much motivation a person has for an activity, but what the quality of that motivation is like.

Beneficial, or quality, types of motivation describe people who do an activity for an intrinsic (internal) reason. For example, they do it because they enjoy exercise or they want to learn new ways of feeling healthy.

Less beneficial types of motivation are when a person does something because of an extrinsic (external) reason. Examples of external reasons include feelings of guilt or shame (such as coercion from others or feeling bad about the way they look), or to receive external rewards such as money or recognition.

If a person has enough of either type of motivation, it’s probably the motivation needed to get them through the challenge. But the more important issue is whether or not the person maintains the healthy behaviour after finishing the challenge.

Beginning any diet or exercise programme is difficult. New exercisers often hold unrealistic expectations of what they can achieve, which can lead them to have trouble prioritising and scheduling exercise. Maintaining lifestyle changes can also be challenging.

Extrinsic reasons for doing something often lead to dropout. Yet when a person does something for intrinsic reasons, they are more likely to stick with it and can maintain the positive outcomes – such as physical fitness and weight loss. This may be even more likely if a person has access to ongoing support following a structured exercise program.

For some people, the 75 Hard challenge may kickstart them into improving their fitness and lifestyle. But being able to maintain that level of activity may depend heavily on the reasons why they are doing it. The rigid list of tasks and consecutive daily nature of the programme may also may it difficult (and even dangerous) to complete.

Anyone contemplating the 75 Hard challenge should seek advice from their healthcare provider or a fitness trainer, and perhaps consider adapting the tasks to suit their fitness level or personal goals.

The Conversation

The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

ShareTweetSharePin
Previous Post

Will omicron-specific booster shots be more effective at combating COVID-19? 5 questions answered

Next Post

Summer 2022 saw thousands of excess deaths in England and Wales – here’s why that might be

Next Post
Summer 2022 saw thousands of excess deaths in England and Wales – here’s why that might be

Summer 2022 saw thousands of excess deaths in England and Wales – here's why that might be

Most Read

What causes stuttering? A speech pathology researcher explains the science and the misconceptions around this speech disorder

What causes stuttering? A speech pathology researcher explains the science and the misconceptions around this speech disorder

December 15, 2022
morning back pain

Morning Again Ache Trigger Is Not the Mattress

October 11, 2021
lower back pain relief exercises

5 decrease again ache aid workouts

October 11, 2021
3 years after legalization, we have shockingly little information about how it changed cannabis use and health harms

3 years after legalization, we have shockingly little information about how it changed cannabis use and health harms

October 15, 2021
Nasal vaccines promise to stop the COVID-19 virus before it gets to the lungs – an immunologist explains how they work

Nasal vaccines promise to stop the COVID-19 virus before it gets to the lungs – an immunologist explains how they work

December 14, 2022
bleeding in gum

When The Bleeding in gum Is Severe ?

October 11, 2021
Good Night Sleep

6 Causes of Good Evening Sleep

October 11, 2021

COVID vaccines: how one can pace up rollout in poorer international locations

October 5, 2021
Ten small changes you can make today to prevent weight gain

Ten small changes you can make today to prevent weight gain

October 12, 2021
Support and collaboration with health-care providers can help people make health decisions

Support and collaboration with health-care providers can help people make health decisions

December 16, 2021
Greece to make COVID vaccines mandatory for over-60s, but do vaccine mandates work?

Greece to make COVID vaccines mandatory for over-60s, but do vaccine mandates work?

December 1, 2021

Multiple sclerosis: the link with earlier infection just got stronger – new study

October 12, 2021
News of war can impact your mental health — here’s how to cope

Binge-eating disorder is more common than many realise, yet it’s rarely discussed – here’s what you need to know

December 2, 2022
Nurses’ attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccination for their children are highly influenced by partisanship, a new study finds

Nurses’ attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccination for their children are highly influenced by partisanship, a new study finds

December 2, 2022
Kick up your heels – ballroom dancing offers benefits to the aging brain and could help stave off dementia

Kick up your heels – ballroom dancing offers benefits to the aging brain and could help stave off dementia

January 3, 2023
How hot is too hot for the human body? Our lab found heat + humidity gets dangerous faster than many people realize

How hot is too hot for the human body? Our lab found heat + humidity gets dangerous faster than many people realize

July 6, 2022
The promise of repairing bones and tendons with human-made materials

The promise of repairing bones and tendons with human-made materials

January 4, 2022
As viral infections skyrocket, masks are still a tried-and-true way to help keep yourself and others safe

As viral infections skyrocket, masks are still a tried-and-true way to help keep yourself and others safe

December 14, 2022
How regulatory agencies, not the courts, are imposing COVID-19 vaccine mandates

How regulatory agencies, not the courts, are imposing COVID-19 vaccine mandates

October 24, 2021
Heart disease risk from saturated fats may depend on what foods they come from – new research

Heart disease risk from saturated fats may depend on what foods they come from – new research

November 29, 2021
Late night eating may cause greater weight gain – new research points to why

Late night eating may cause greater weight gain – new research points to why

October 12, 2022

10 Things I Learned During My Body Transformation

October 12, 2021

7 Health Benefits of Sweet Potatoes

October 12, 2021
Nobel prize: how chilli peppers helped researchers uncover how humans feel pain

Nobel prize: how chilli peppers helped researchers uncover how humans feel pain

October 12, 2021
How air filters can make COVID wards safer for patients and staff

How air filters can make COVID wards safer for patients and staff

December 1, 2021
GPs don’t give useful weight-loss advice – new study

GPs don’t give useful weight-loss advice – new study

December 16, 2022
Four ways to avoid gaining weight over the festive period – but also why you shouldn’t fret about it too much

Four ways to avoid gaining weight over the festive period – but also why you shouldn’t fret about it too much

December 22, 2022
Five ways to avoid pain and injury when starting a new exercise regime

Five ways to avoid pain and injury when starting a new exercise regime

December 30, 2022
Why suicide prevention support is crucial for people with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder

Why suicide prevention support is crucial for people with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder

September 28, 2022
Too hot to handle: Climate considerations for youth sport during the hottest years on record

Too hot to handle: Climate considerations for youth sport during the hottest years on record

July 19, 2022
  • Home
  • Health & Wellness
  • Disclaimer

© 2020 DAILY HEALTH NEWS

  • Home
  • Health & Wellness
  • Disclaimer
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • DMCA Notice

© 2020 DAILY HEALTH NEWS