The 75hard challenge is a mindset challenge created by Andy Frisella. It trains you to strengthen your grit, your ability to execute, your drive. You can call it many different things, but I think it’s clear what I mean.

A practical example: You just finished a self-help book, and you are inspired. You start with energy to apply the things you learn. Only to find out a few weeks later you don’t feel like it anymore. Your drive is gone… This is something I’ve experienced many times.

That drive is the thing you train with this challenge. So what are the rules?

The rules are simple, and they apply daily for 75 days:

• Workout 45 minutes a day twice; one of those has to be outside. This can be whatever you want to train or consider working out
• Drink 1 gallon of water
• Read 10 pages of a non-fiction/self-help book. Audiobooks don’t count
• Make a progress picture every day, which is for yourself. You don’t have to share it
• Pick a diet and stick to it; zero cheats are allowed.
• No alcohol

The day ends when you go to sleep.

IMPORTANT If one of these rules are not met, you start again from day one, no matter how little the mistake and how far your progress is. When you forget your progress picture on day 73 or go to bed, fail to read on day 71. Be very strict with these rules!

My 75 hard challenge result

I started the challenge together with my wife, and we managed to complete it on the first try.

Here are my picks:

• Workout 1 - Inside: Weightlifting on weekdays, weekends I did Yoga
• Workout 2 - Outside: Running or walking
• Diet: Intermittent fasting - daily 18 hours fast

These are the books I’ve read:

• Think and grow rich by Napoleon Hill
• Clean Code by Robert C. Martin
• As a man thinketh by James Allen
• Meditations by Marcus Aurelius

Before and after pictures: I won’t share photos here of the physical result. Instead, I’ll just share the picture of my face on day 1 vs. day 75:

Why did I decide to start the 75 hard challenge?

It was my holiday and when going swimming with the kids. I looked in the mirror, and I was disappointed with myself and brutally honest:

How could you let it get this far? Does this look like someone who got his shit together? Is this how you want your kids to see you? Is this their example?

This resulted from the beers, chips, and fast food that my wife and I regularly enjoyed watching Netflix on the couch. It became a daily habit. Besides that, there was no training, exercise, or whatsoever. That lifestyle needed to go fast!

Besides looking like shit, I felt the part too. Dips in my energy level, waking up and feeling sick to my stomach. This had to stop, and it had to stop now, requiring drastic measures.

So on our way back home in the car, I shared this with my wife, and she agreed. She said:

Let’s get back in shape, go training. Just cheat on the weekends.

I told her that is not enough. The bad habits will return. We need something to strengthen our ability to resist those things. We need a mindset change, and I explained what Andy Frisella’s 75 hard challenge entailed. She agreed and recognized it needed to be done.

Was the 75 hard challenge hard to do?

In the beginning, definitely. Going from no training to 2 times a day. From drinking almost no water to 1 gallon a day. These are pretty extreme measures, your body needs the get used to.

Stage 1

For the first 3 weeks, I felt miserable. My body felt sour, and I was tired.

Stage 2

Over time my body started to get used to it. I was starting to feel great and energized. Also, my thoughts were crystal clear and sharp.

Stage 3

This is the stage where it becomes a habit and almost feels normal, and it becomes a part of your life. From that point onward, I had no trouble whatsoever to oblige to the 75hard rules.

Stage 4

And then there came the last 25 days. You wouldn’t believe it, but actually, I didn’t want it to stop, I began to love it. In the last two weeks, I decided to challenge myself a bit more by planning my morning runs at 6 in the morning.

Back to the question:

Is Andy Frisella’s 75hard challenge hard to do? No, once you get the hang of it. The funny thing is, if you can do 30 days, you can do 75 as well. It makes no difference.

What did I gain from Andy Frisella’s 75 hard challenge?

This is the main reason I decided to write this article. Because many people ask me this question, and frankly, I gained so much from it, I want to share it with everybody who has an interest. And I truly hope to inspire people to take on this challenge:

• No more excuses
• Daily consistent improvement in aspects of life that matter most to me
• I can look at myself in the mirror again
• I do what I promise myself to do
• I’m not scared anymore, to be honest to myself
• I found the rest in my head
• Structured days where everything is planned out, so time is spent as efficiently as possible
• I’m more engaged in being a father
• I’m more involved with my spouse
• My relationships got deeper and more meaningful
• Developed an interest in people
• Faced and overcame demons from the past
• Developed a positive mindset
• Developed an Abundance Mentality
• Got into physical shape
• Got into mental shape
• Developed a great sense of responsibility
• Started with this blog
• Developed a habit to read daily
• Developed a habit of working out daily
• I finish things and get things done
• I created an urge to do everything I do to the best of my ability
• I created an urge to deliver high- quality work
• I don’t mind anymore doing things I don’t like
• Became more aware of my surroundings
• I say hello to everyone I see
• My sleep quality has increased

Tips for completing Andy Frisella’s 75hard challenge

For me, the two things that were key to getting through this challenge(besides my wife). Were two things:

1. Track all the actions. For that, I used the IOS app Done, The 75hard app, and my iPhone notes app. Besides knowing for sure you’ve done everything for that day, it feels good to tick off the boxes during the day.
2. Plan everything and put it on your schedule, and adjust and review it weekly. I mean everything, even lunch, and dinner. This way, when for example, something important pops up, you can adjust the time slots.
3. Start now! You can always find an excuse for not starting it
4. Don’t worry if some of the 75 hard challenge aspects come easy to you. We all have our own things that we find hard and trust me, you will encounter them.

What’s next?

There is an additional Phase 1 part of the challenge, which lasts 30 days and introduces the following things on top of the existing 75 hard challenge:

• Take a 5 minute cold shower daily
• Add 3 additional items to your existing power list - Read more about the power list in this article: My six takeaways from Andy Frisella’s power list.
• 10 minutes of dedicated visualization

I’m very proud of completing Andy Frisella’s 75hard challenge, but the Phase 1 part is something I’m going to take on very soon to take it even a step further.

UPDATE

I completed phase 1 of Andy Frisella’s 75hard challenge read about my experiences here: Read more about my experiences with 75 hard phase 1 in this article: I completed phase 1 of Andy Frisella’s #75hard challenge.

This is the podcast I recorded with regards to 75hard phase 1:

Conclusion - The Fee

In Andy Frisella’s podcast: REALAF, he always talks about paying the fee. Since the show and all of his concepts are free of charge, the fee is as follows:

If you enjoyed the content, if it made you think. Spread the word and share it!

So this is me paying the fee:

• Detailed information on Andy Frisella’s 75 hard challenge: https://andyfrisella.com/pages/75hard-info
• Andy Frisella’s REALAF Podcast: https://andyfrisella.com/blogs/realaf-podcast

I can honestly say this challenge made me a better person, and it was a life-changing experience. I encourage everyone to try this challenge and experience this great journey.

It is completely scalable to your skill level and free of charge. Just do it. There will be no regrets, I promise!

Start Andy Frisella’s 75 hard challenge now!