What Is the 75 Soft Challenge?
Move Over, 75 Hard — The 75 Soft Challenge Is Here
If you’ve been on social media lately, chances are you’ve come across the 75 Hard challenge — a 75-day mental toughness program built around strict daily habits like doing two workouts and drinking a gallon of water every single day. If you mess up and skip a day, you must start over.
Sounds intense? That’s perhaps why the 75 Soft challenge has now become a thing. You can think about it as a more approachable spin-off of the original viral fitness trend. Some people thrive with a no-excuses, radical lifestyle overhaul. But most of us do better with something a little more flexible. That’s where 75 Soft comes in: a gentler, more sustainable approach designed to build consistency without burning out.
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So, what does it entail and is it worth trying? Here’s how it works, how it differs from 75 Hard and how to successfully embrace it.
What Is the 75 Soft Challenge?
The 75 Soft challenge is also built around daily habits:
- One 45-minute workout per day, with one day of active recovery a week
- Drink around three liters of water daily
- Read 10 pages of any book
- Eat a mostly healthy, balanced diet
- No alcohol except on social occasions
If you miss a step, you take a break or try an alternative approach — no need to start over.
“As a high-performance athlete, I respect any challenge that helps people build structure, consistency and discipline, and the 75 Soft challenge does exactly that without pushing people to burnout,” says Louis Chandler, certified personal trainer at Alo Moves. “Unlike more extreme protocols, 75 Soft strikes a sustainable balance that encourages personal growth without sacrificing recovery, mental health or long-term adherence.”
75 Soft vs. 75 Hard: Key Differences
Both programs are built on the core principle that you build long-term change through the things that you do every day. But they approach the process of becoming stronger and healthier very differently.
75 Soft skips the rigid, all-or-nothing approach that can make 75 Hard feel intimidating or unsustainable. The original version asks for two workouts a day (one outdoors), no alcohol, no cheat meals – and no room for missing a single daily commitment. It’s intense, and that’s the whole point, but it can easily lead people to burn out and quit.
“‘Challenges like 75 Hard tend to glorify extreme discipline at all costs, which feels productive in the short term, but never works out for long-term sustained progress,” says Ben Supik, founder of Activate Body Personal Training. “75 Soft realizes that people have lives. They’re going to get too busy some days to do the program. They’re going to get stressed out. They’re going to have cravings. It allows them to be able to get back on the horse the next day without feeling like a failure.”
Benefits of the 75 Soft Challenge
The main benefit of 75 Soft is sustainability — and it’s a huge one, as it can make or break your success. As Supik notes, the No.1 factor behind whether a program will bring results is how likely someone is to stick to it.
“It promotes sustainability over intensity,” says Chandler. “While 75 Hard can be effective for mental toughness, it often leads to all-or-nothing thinking. 75 Soft is rooted in lifestyle integration. You’re still working out daily, hydrating, reading and eating clean, but you’re also giving your body the recovery it needs to adapt and grow.”
It’s an approach that fits better into real life and its demands, whether you’re a busy professional or a parent. The habits are simple but create lasting change. As Chandler explains, daily movement helps build momentum and body awareness, staying on top of hydration supports both performance and recovery, reading sharpens your mindset and eating clean while remaining flexible encourages a healthy relationship with food.
It’s also especially helpful for beginners who are still learning how to stick to healthy habits over time, adds Supik: “75 Soft does this well because it allows for wiggle room rather than all or nothing.”
How to Successfully Start the 75 Soft Challenge
Ready to give the 75 Soft challenge a try? While the rules are straightforward, going into it with the right mindset can help you succeed. As Supik puts it, it’s not meant to help you lose 20 pounds in a week. Trust the process even if progress feels slow.
“It’s designed to help you learn how to make slow, gradual consistent change. It’s like compound interest. Each day it doesn’t seem like much, but have faith and you’ll see its benefits add up over the long haul,” says Supik.
Also, don’t aim for perfection. Focus on shifting your identity instead, recommends Chandler.
What does that mean in practice? It’s about changing the way you view yourself, one habit at a time.
“Every day you show up, you’re casting a vote for the type of person you’re becoming. You’re not ‘doing a challenge’; you’re becoming someone who moves with intention, eats with care and leads with discipline. Think long-term, this isn’t 75 days to get through: it’s the next chapter in your transformation,” says Chandler.
As long as you keep showing up, even imperfectly, you’ll start to see real change unfold.
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