75 Hard, 75 Medium, and 75 Soft all use a 75-day calendar, but they ask for very different levels of rigidity.

The short answer: 75 Hard is the strictest: five daily tasks, two workouts, and a full day-one restart after any miss. 75 Medium is a community-created middle ground with one workout, planned recovery, and usually no full restart. 75 Soft uses four flexible habits and treats an incomplete day as information rather than erasing the attempt.

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Choose by the rules you can follow safely and honestly—not by which label sounds toughest. Medium and Soft do not have one universal rulebook, so write down your exact version before day one.

75 Hard vs 75 Medium vs 75 Soft at a glance

Rule	75 Hard	75 Medium	75 Soft
Workouts	Two 45-minute workouts daily; one outdoors	One 45-minute session six days weekly; common versions include outdoor sessions	45 minutes daily; one weekly active-recovery day
Food	Follow a chosen diet; no alcohol or cheat meals	Follow a chosen plan; common versions allow one planned flexible meal weekly	“Eat well”; alcohol only on social occasions
Water	One gallon of plain water	Common versions use three liters	Common version uses three liters
Reading	10 pages of nonfiction or self-development; physical reading	Common versions use 10 pages of nonfiction or self-development	10 pages of any book
Progress photo	Daily	Included in many versions	Not required in the common four-rule version
Recovery	No scheduled rest day	One recovery day in the version used by our tracker	One active-recovery day weekly
After a missed task	Restart at day one	Usually record the gap and continue	Record the gap and continue
Standardized rules?	Yes; published by the program creator	No single universal rulebook	No single universal rulebook

The Medium column describes the version implemented in the BodyBuddy tracker. You will find different Medium and Soft checklists elsewhere because those names describe community variants, not centrally governed programs.

What is 75 Hard?

75 HARD is a program created by Andy Frisella. Its published rules require all five tasks every day for 75 days:

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

Complete two continuous 45-minute workouts, with at least one outdoors.

Drink one gallon of plain water.

Physically read 10 pages of a nonfiction or self-development book.

Take a progress photo.

Missing any task means restarting at day one.

The strict restart is not a hidden technicality; it is central to the program’s design. The official rules and FAQ—not a third-party checklist—should be your source for details such as workout spacing, what counts as reading, and water exceptions.

Best fit: someone who deliberately wants a rigid adherence challenge, understands the official rules, and can follow them without conflicting with health, recovery, or professional guidance.

Important: The free tracker from the creators of BodyBuddy is independent. It is not the official 75 HARD app and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Andy Frisella or the program.

What is 75 Medium?

75 Medium is a community-created middle ground. There is no official universal rulebook.

The version used by the BodyBuddy tracker includes:

A 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.

Three liters of water.

10 pages of nonfiction or self-development reading.

A daily progress photo.

A missed day stays visible, but the tracker does not reset the whole challenge.

Other Medium checklists use different outdoor, nutrition, water, or photo rules. If you choose Medium, copy your exact rules into a note before the challenge begins instead of assuming every website means the same thing.

Best fit: someone who wants more structure than Soft, less daily volume than Hard, and a weekly recovery rhythm.

What is 75 Soft?

The common 75 Soft version uses four daily habits:

Eat well, with alcohol only on social occasions.

Move for 45 minutes daily, using one day each week for active recovery.

Drink three liters of water, unless individualized guidance says otherwise.

Read 10 pages of any book.

There is no daily photo requirement and no automatic day-one restart in the version used by our tracker.

“Eat well” and “active recovery” need definitions. That flexibility is useful only if you decide what counts before day one and keep the rule consistent.

For finish-date math, a copyable checklist, hydration context, and the embedded tool, read the full 75 Soft rules, checklist, and free tracker.

Best fit: someone prioritizing sustainable consistency, varied movement, and recovery over strict all-or-nothing adherence.

Which 75-day challenge should you choose?

Choose 75 Hard if you specifically want its official rules

Do not choose it merely because “Hard” sounds more legitimate. Choose it only after reading the actual rulebook and deciding that the workload, outdoor requirement, gallon target, and restart policy make sense for your situation.

Choose 75 Medium if you want structure with a recovery day

Medium can work well when one substantial daily session is realistic but the Soft rules feel too open-ended. Because it is not standardized, your written rules matter more than the label.

Choose 75 Soft if consistency matters more than perfection

Soft still asks for daily attention, but it leaves room to define food, use active recovery, read any book, and continue after an imperfect day. That can make the challenge easier to integrate with work, family, group classes, and a professional plan.

Choose none of them if the template conflicts with your health

Stopping, shortening, or modifying a social challenge is not failure. A generic 75-day template cannot account for injury rehabilitation, pregnancy or postpartum needs, a prescribed diet, fluid restrictions, medication effects, heat exposure, or a history of compulsive exercise or restrictive eating.

How 75 Hotter fits in

75 Hotter is another community variant available in the free tracker. The tracker’s version 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.

One intentional self-care action.

Like Medium and Soft, it does not have one universal rulebook. It is useful when you want self-care and listening options included in the daily checklist, but it should not be mistaken for an official step above or below the other programs.

Track any version free

Use the free 75-day challenge tracker to switch among Hard, Medium, Soft, and Hotter, set a real start date, and mark daily tasks.

The tool works in a browser without an account. It records the boxes you select; it does not verify workout duration, water intake, meals, reading, or whether an activity satisfies an external program’s rules.

The tracker never restarts itself. If the version you chose requires a restart, use Reset deliberately.

Treat workout and water targets as generic templates

A gallon—or even three liters—is not a universal hydration prescription. Needs vary with body size, climate, activity, pregnancy or breastfeeding, illness, kidney function, medications, and other factors. Some people need a clinician-directed fluid limit.

Daily movement also does not mean every day should be hard. Pain, dizziness, illness, heat-related symptoms, and instructions from a doctor or physical therapist matter more than completing a checkbox.

These challenges are social habit frameworks, not clinically validated medical or weight-loss programs. Adapt or stop when a rule conflicts with your health or professional guidance.

Turn a challenge into daily accountability

Disclosure: This comparison was published by the creators of BodyBuddy.

A checklist can show what is unfinished. BodyBuddy can help make the plan part of your day over text.

Choose a version in the tracker first. If 75 Soft is the fit, you can join the 75 Soft plan. Once joined in the BodyBuddy app, BodyBuddy can check in about the plan, help you notice what is likely to slip, and help you resume after an incomplete day.

The free browser tracker and BodyBuddy coaching are separate. Tracker progress does not automatically transfer into the app.

Frequently asked questions

Is 75 Medium easier than 75 Hard?

It usually has less daily workout volume, includes recovery, and does not require a complete restart in the version used by our tracker. It is still a substantial 75-day commitment.

Is 75 Soft easier than 75 Medium?

Soft generally has fewer checks and more flexible food and reading rules. “Easier” depends on your schedule and the exact Medium rules you choose.

Which challenge requires two workouts a day?

75 Hard. Its official rules require two 45-minute workouts daily, with at least one outdoors.

Which challenge requires progress photos?

75 Hard requires a daily photo. Many Medium versions also include one. The common four-rule Soft version does not.

Do 75 Medium and 75 Soft have official rules?

No single universal rulebook governs either community variant. Write down the exact rules you plan to follow.

Do you restart after missing a day?

75 Hard requires a restart. The Medium and Soft versions used by the BodyBuddy tracker leave the day incomplete and continue.

Can I use the tracker without the BodyBuddy app?

Yes. The browser tracker works without an account in the BodyBuddy app.

Is this the official 75 HARD tracker?

No. It is an independent tracker that supports several 75-day challenge variants.

Sources

Official 75 HARD program rules

Official 75 HARD FAQ

Cleveland Clinic: What Is the 75 Soft Challenge?

Women’s Health: 75 Soft rules, benefits, and risks

National Kidney Foundation: Healthy Hydration and Your Kidneys

Free 75-day challenge tracker from the creators of BodyBuddy

75 Hard vs 75 Medium vs 75 Soft: Rules Compared (2026)