Accountability|August 10, 2026|Francis

75 Hard vs 75 Medium vs 75 Soft: Rules Compared

Compare 75 Hard, Medium, and Soft rules, restart policies, water and workout targets, then choose a version and use the free tracker.

A 75-day challenge lasts long enough for memory to become part of the problem. By week three, the question is often less “am I motivated?” and more “did I actually finish every item on Tuesday?”

That is the job of a tracker: preserve the boring details so you can make an honest decision about the next day.

The creators of BodyBuddy offer a free 75-day challenge tracker that works in a browser without an account. It supports four checklists—75 Hard, 75 Medium, 75 Soft, and 75 Hotter—and keeps each version’s start date and progress separate.

75 HARD has a creator-published rulebook. Medium, Soft, and Hotter do not have one universal official ruleset; those names are used differently across the internet. Every Medium, Soft, and Hotter rule below describes the version implemented in this tracker.

Decide what counts before day one

The tracker records the boxes you check. It does not verify a workout, measure water, inspect a meal, or decide whether an activity satisfies somebody else’s rules.

Read the version you intend to follow before you start. If you change the definition halfway through, the grid may look complete while the challenge itself keeps moving.

Version	Daily checks in the tracker	Missed-day rule	Emphasis
75 Hard	5	Restart at day one	Strict adherence
75 Medium	5	Continue	Structure with recovery
75 Soft	4	Continue	Consistency and flexibility
75 Hotter	5	Continue	Movement, learning, and self-care

What the tracker’s four checklists include

75 Hard

The original 75 HARD program has five daily tasks:

Follow a diet aligned with your goal, with no alcohol or cheat meals.

Complete two continuous 45-minute workouts, with at least one outdoors. The official program page says at least three hours apart; the current FAQ describes the minimum as 3–4 hours.

Drink one gallon of plain water.

Physically read 10 pages of a nonfiction or self-development book; audiobooks do not count.

Take a progress photo.

Missing any task means restarting at day one. Those details come from the program creator’s published rules and official FAQ.

The tracker gives you one check for each of the five tasks. A checked workout box does not independently verify the duration, spacing, or outdoor requirement, so the official rulebook still matters.

75 HARD is a program created by Andy Frisella. The creators of BodyBuddy provide this independent tracking and accountability tool; they are not affiliated with or endorsed by the program or its creator.

75 Medium

The tracker’s Medium checklist uses:

your chosen eating plan, with no more than one planned flexible meal each week;

45 minutes of movement, six days per week, including at least three outdoor sessions and active recovery;

a three-liter water target;

10 pages of nonfiction or self-development reading; and

a daily progress photo.

Medium does not reset the whole challenge after a missed day.

75 Soft

The tracker’s Soft checklist uses nourishing meals, 45 minutes of movement with one active-recovery day each week, three liters of water, and 10 pages of any book.

There is no daily photo check and no automatic day-one restart.

75 Hotter

The tracker’s Hotter checklist uses an 80/20 eating approach, 30 to 45 minutes of movement with a weekly recovery day, a three-liter water target, 10 minutes of reading or listening, and one intentional self-care action.

A missed day stays visible, but it does not reset the count.

Medium, Soft, and Hotter do not have one universal rulebook. The definitions above describe the checklists implemented in the current tracker.

Set it up in three minutes

The free BodyBuddy 75-day tracker showing one completed day and a partially completed second day

The live browser tracker with synthetic progress: day one complete and day two in progress.

1. Pick one version

Use the tabs above the tracker to switch between 75 Hard, 75 Medium, 75 Soft, and 75 Hotter.

Each version has its own start date and saved checks. Testing Soft will not overwrite your Hard progress.

2. Enter the date you actually started

The start date maps the calendar to days 1 through 75. If you began last Monday, enter last Monday—not the date that makes the streak look cleaner.

Before you enter a date, the tracker opens on day one.

3. Check an item after it happens

Open the relevant day and mark each completed item. A day receives a completed checkmark only when every item in that version is selected.

The tool does not require proof. The record is only as accurate as the entries you make.

4. Use the grid to find gaps

The 75-day grid shows completed days at a glance. Select any day to inspect or correct its checklist, including an earlier day you forgot to update.

The counter is the number of fully completed days—not necessarily a continuous streak.

5. Reset deliberately

The tracker never restarts itself.

If the rules you chose require a restart, select Reset and confirm it. Reset clears the start date and checklist history for the currently selected version on that device. It leaves the other three versions alone.

What happens when you miss a day

First, follow the policy of the version you chose.

For 75 Hard, one missed required task means restarting at day one. For the tracker’s Medium, Soft, and Hotter checklists, the missed day remains part of the record and you continue.

Do not use a reset to hide a gap, and do not let a perfect-looking grid pressure you into an unsafe choice. The tracker is a record, not a referee.

If the challenge no longer fits your health, schedule, or professional instructions, changing versions—or stopping—is a valid decision.

Where the tracker stores your progress

The free tracker saves the selected version, start dates, and individual checkbox state in local storage in that browser.

In practical terms:

no account in the BodyBuddy app is required;

progress does not sync to a second browser or device;

there is no account restore for the browser checklist;

private browsing or storage-blocking settings may retain progress for only the current session; and

clearing site data can erase the tracker.

On this page, session recording, automatic click capture, and page-leave capture are disabled. The site sends limited analytics events for a page view, the first interaction with the tool, a day reaching complete, and clicks to linked plan pages.

Those events do not include the locally saved start date, the individual checkbox state, or the complete tracker record.

Treat the water and workout targets as generic

A gallon—or even three liters—is not a universal hydration target. The National Kidney Foundation notes that fluid needs vary with factors such as body size, climate, activity, pregnancy or breastfeeding, and illness. It also notes that some people with advanced kidney disease need a clinician-directed fluid limit and that too much water can be harmful.

The same principle applies to workouts, recovery, food rules, and outdoor exercise. A challenge template cannot account for injury rehabilitation, pregnancy or postpartum needs, medication effects, heat exposure, compulsive-exercise concerns, or a clinician’s instructions.

Pause and get appropriate guidance when a target conflicts with an individualized plan or when you develop pain, dizziness, illness, or heat-related symptoms. Completing a checkbox is not evidence that the target was safe or effective for you.

The free tracker and coaching from BodyBuddy are separate

The browser tracker works without an account. Each version also links to a separate plan page.

Opening the tracker does not enroll you in a plan, and browser checklist progress does not transfer into the app. Joining a plan is a separate choice. Once joined, the plan can become part of BodyBuddy’s daily coaching and accountability.

If all you need is a private browser checklist, use the free 75-day challenge tracker, choose the rules deliberately, and keep an honest record.