“75 Hard” Is The Epitome Of Everything Wrong With The Fitness Industry
"75 Hard" is a popular fitness challenge. Many of my friends have attempted it in the past year. Key word - attempted.
For 75 days, you need to check each of these boxes:
- Two 45-minute daily workouts.
- One gallon of water.
- 10 pages of a nonfiction book.
- A diet.
- No “cheat meals” or alcohol.
The “best” part? If you slip up one day, you need to start over from Day 1.
For about 3% of people, it's life changing. It's the thing that finally motivates them enough to get in shape. This 3% will sing the praises of the challenge. And they’ll sing loudly. This survivorship bias is the driving factor in 75 Hard’s popularity.
For about 97% of people, it’s an absolute disaster. Best case scenario, they grind out 75 grueling, “successful” days. Then, burnout and fatigue forces them right back to their old habits. Worst case scenario, they get injured, sick, or develop a lifelong disdain for fitness.
First, I’ll share 3 reasons why 75 Hard represents everything wrong with the fitness industry. Then, I’ll give you 3 ways to develop habits that stick for 75 years instead of 75 days.
1. 75 Hard attracts people that have no business attempting it.
I’ve lifted weights every week since 2011. In the past ten years, I can count on one hand how many days I’ve eaten less than 120 grams of protein. Even for a psychopath like me, 75 Hard makes me think, “Holy cow. That sounds brutal!”
I could do it, but I’m 27 with no family and over a decade of practice with “getting comfortable being uncomfortable.”
Usually, the people that attempt 75 Hard are woefully unprepared.
For example, Sally, a mother of three who hasn’t worked out in 5 years, is trying 75 Hard. Matt, a 50 year old with 100 pounds to lose and chronic low back pain, is trying 75 Hard. Dwight, an out of shape workaholic, BattleStar Galactica fan, and beet farmer, is trying 75 Hard.
When you mix people with no fitness background and 75 days of two-a-day workouts, problems can ensue.
2. 75 Hard is too hard.
The expectation of 100% consistency is insane.
This “all or nothing” mindset is also unnecessary and counterproductive. Out of the 100+ people I’ve coached, no one has been 100% consistent with their diet, workouts, and sleep. At least not longer than a week.
And those that have gotten close are usually neurotic. They stress too much about being perfect. Then, they get worse results than if they had relaxed and accepted “good enough.”
A challenge that sets the bar at 100% consistency - for over two months - is dangerous and unrealistic.
3. 75 Hard prioritizes the short term over the long term.
What happens after 75 days?
75 days is a drop in the bucket in the context of your entire life. You can eat 5,000 calories of cookies every day for 75 days. Or you can workout and lick broccoli for sustenance for 75 days. Over the course of an entire year - let alone your entire life - what you do for 75 days is inconsequential.
What matters is what you can sustain over the long term.
Here are three strategies that will help you stick to healthy habits for 75 years instead of 75 days.
1. Shoot for 80% consistency.
I tell my online fitness coaching clients that 80% is the standard. If they can complete 80% of their workouts and stick to their nutrition targets 80% of the time, they are golden.
I’ve never worked with a client that was 80% consistent over the long run and didn’t reach their goal.
I have worked with clients that are 100% consistent for 2 weeks. 70% consistent for a week. And 0% consistent for the rest of their life. Not what you want!
Fitness coach Matt McLeod sets the bar even lower. He recommends shooting for 75% consistency, 75% of the time. He explains:
There are two main reasons aiming for 75% will work:
1. You’re already expecting failure. What messes most people up is not the singular “failure” from an unhealthy meal, it is their reaction to that so-called failure. One unhealthy meal Friday night turns into an entire “screw it” weekend. But if you’re already expecting failure, it takes the pressure off. That same unhealthy meal Friday night turns into “oh, this was already part of my plan.” And you get back on track the next day. Which leads to point two…
2. The consistency will add up over time. Some days you’ll have 25% days, others 100%. But you’ll likely be able to hit 75% on average, especially if you ”automate” your first two meals of the day and go for a daily walk. This eliminates the all-or-nothing mentality and turns it into the always something mentality.
(P.S. Matt is an awesome guy and coach. If you don’t already follow him, you can check out his website here.)
80% gives you the wiggle room to enjoy special occasions. It also allows you the freedom to slip up occasionally and still stay on track.
2. Eliminate friction.
Dude, working out sucks. I get it. It hurts, it’s sweaty, and it can be boring.
Eating well can suck too. It takes more time and effort to prepare meals, and it’s never as tasty as a Big Mac.
The more a healthy habit sucks, the more you need to be proactive with eliminating barriers.
The master of habits, James Clear, recommends.
“Your net productivity is the balance of the productive and unproductive forces in your life.
A great deal of time and energy is spent thinking about how to increase effort, but there is a lot to be gained by reducing friction.
A car will travel faster not only if you press the accelerator, but also if you remove the speed bumps.”
With your fitness, this may look like:
Batch Cooking: Dedicate a few hours each week to batch cooking staple items like grains, proteins, and vegetables. Store them in portioned containers for easy assembly into meals throughout the week.
Sleep Environment Optimization: Make your bedroom conducive to quality sleep. Invest in blackout curtains, comfortable bedding, and keep your room cool and quiet. Limit screen time before bed to promote relaxation.
Create a Workout Space at Home: Designate a specific area in your home for exercising. Keep any necessary equipment easily accessible.
Schedule Workouts Like Appointments: Treat your workouts like non-negotiable appointments. Block off time in your calendar for exercise, like you would any other commitment.
3. Understand the pain of not making a change.
You only ever have two reasons for doing something:
The reward of an action is strong enough to keep doing it. Your taste buds dance when the spoonful of ice cream lands on your tongue, so you continue shoveling it in.
The pain of inaction is strong enough for you to do something different. You have no ice cream in the freezer. This makes you sad, so you add it to the shopping list to prevent a similar pain in the future. (Now I’ve got a hankering for ice cream. Pic of the ice cream in my freezer at the end of the article).
The crux of the matter with fitness is that it takes a long time to claim the reward. It can take months to lose weight or gain strength. It takes seconds to grab a spoon and carton of ice cream.
We’ve got to attack the opposite angle by articulating the consequences of inaction.
A major reason people fail in fitness is that their pain isn’t painful enough. They’d like to lose some fat or get a six pack, sure. But the effort required outweighs the pain of not accomplishing their goal.
For me, the pain associated with not prioritizing my health in the short term include:
Less focus
Poor energy and mood swings
Lack of structure
Reduced drive that carries over into every aspect of life
Over the long term, it includes:
Feeling self conscious about my body
Breaking promises to myself
Increased risk of diseases like Alzheimer’s and Heart Disease
Shortened lifespan
Reflecting on the costs of inaction is a powerful way to stick with healthy habits over the long run.
Optimize For 75 Years, Not 75 Days
I just read a great article by Tim Ferris on goals. At the end, he challenges:
What’s a small step you could take today? Right now?
You’ll almost never have complete information, and you don’t generally need it. It’s often an excuse for avoiding something uncomfortable. Who could you call or email today to get the bare minimum needed for your next step?
What is the cost of your inaction? This is important. What is your status quo costing you, and how can you make the pain painful enough to drive you forward?
When trying to get in better shape, focus on daily wins and long term habits to set yourself up for success:
Create a small win today to generate momentum
Commit to habits you can stick to for 75 years, rather than 75 days
If you need a hand with getting started, reply below with “75 Hard sucks!” I do this stuff for a living, after all.
Best,
John
P.S. The ice cream in my fridge. High protein, low sugar, and we live 20 yards behind a Target. Checks out.
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