75Hard

Today begins “Phase 3” of Andy Frisella’s 75Hard—a mental toughness program that spans a year, consisting of a daily regimen, and a tactical guide to winning the war with yourself. The tasks are simple when taken at face value, but the intent and consistency you put into it ultimately determine what you get out of it.

I was initially skeptical when I heard about 75Hard, but I am always one for new challenges. Looking at the calibre of people behind the program, you can’t help but question why you wouldn’t embark down the path toward self-actualization and improve the quality of your life. I would be remiss if I didn’t pay it forward by sharing the profound effect it’s had on confidence, self-belief, grit, and stomping the inner bitch voice, in hopes that it does the same for anyone that knows deep down, it may be the missing component to optimizing your chances of success, however you define it.

The following templates for the 75Hard program are from Andy’s Instagram stories, and if you don’t know who he is…

“A highly successful entrepreneur, top-ranked podcast host, and speaker who leads the #100to0 movement — men and women of integrity and intensity who want to win big at business and life.“

Daily Rules:

• Follow a diet
• No alcohol or cheat meals
• 2 x 45-minute workouts (one outdoors)
• 3 critical power list tasks
• 5-minute cold shower
• Progress picture
• 1 gallon of water
• 10 pages of reading
• Talk to a stranger
• 1 random act of kindness

The physical result is only a manifestation of the transformation that happens internally. With the wealth of knowledge and resources at our disposal, it’s more approachable than ever for anyone at any fitness level to get started. I focused on a few anchors to maximize the benefit and remain committed:

Intermittent fasting: The ZeroFasting app is a great way to track your fasting schedule, weight, and mood. I most frequently stuck with the 18:6 time-restricted feeding, with the longest fast being 36 hours; helping to rid the liver of glycogen, allowing the body to use ketones for fuel, and activating autophagy to clean out damaged cells.

Diet: There are a ton of health experts online, but I found TheTdelauer to have the most actionable and effective recommendations. I kept my diet simple—no dairy, no processed sugars, no bread. Black coffee, nuts, beans, vegetables, and grass-fed meat from the local butcher. It’s important to diet in accordance with the intensity of exercise.

Workout schedule: As part of the program, one workout has to be outdoors—rain or shine. I typically do cardio first thing in the morning before the sun comes up, starting the day with a win, and some days in my deepest fasted state, which targets those stubborn fat stores. I vary my workouts depending on injuries or how I’m feeling; mixing it up with yoga, swimming, biking, running, weight-lifting, jiu-jitsu and boxing. I used Strava to track my progress, as it’s a great way to discover challenges and connect with the community.

Completing 75Hard is truly rewarding, so long as you follow the rules to a T. It isn’t complicated, but even with the simplest of tasks, the excuses can start to creep in when the going gets tough. I encourage you to test yourself and keep going no matter what. If it’s difficult, it’s most often exactly what we need to be doing.