What Are the 75 Soft Rules?
The 75 Soft rules are the four daily tasks that make up the 75 Soft Challenge — a more sustainable 75-day mental-toughness program designed as an alternative to Andy Frisella's 75 Hard. Instead of five demanding daily requirements, 75 Soft asks you to complete four habits each day for 75 days: one 45-minute workout, a sustainable diet of your choosing, a gallon of water, and 10 pages of nonfiction reading.
The challenge was created to give people the structure and accountability of 75 Hard without the harsh restart-on-failure penalty. Miss one day on 75 Hard and you're back to day one. Miss one day on 75 Soft and you acknowledge it, take your flex day, and continue — making the rules dramatically more achievable for people with real jobs, families, and unpredictable schedules.
One thing worth flagging up front: 75 Soft deliberately drops the "two workouts per day" rule from 75 Hard. You do one 45-minute workout — not two. That's a major reason most people find 75 Soft sustainable enough to actually finish.
The Four 75 Soft Rules
Here's each rule, what it actually means, and how to hit it without burning out:
1. One 45-Minute Workout
Complete one workout, 45 minutes long, every day. It must be a single session — not two shorter workouts stacked together. Any movement counts: strength training, running, cycling, swimming, yoga, sports. The workout must be intentional physical exertion.
2. Follow a Diet
Pick an eating pattern you can sustain for 75 days — yours, not a celebrity's — and stick to it. The rule is consistency, not a specific protocol. The two hard constraints: no cheat meals, no alcohol during the challenge window. Anything outside those two rules is up to you.
3. Drink a Gallon of Water
A full US gallon — about 3.7 liters — every single day. Track it. The hydration habit is what makes the rule feel hardest in week one and easiest by week three. Spread the intake across the day rather than chugging at night.
4. Read 10 Pages of Nonfiction
Ten pages of a nonfiction book, every day. Audiobooks do not count under the strict interpretation of the rule — it must be the physical act of reading. The page count resets each day, so even if you read 30 pages on Monday, Tuesday still requires ten.
What Counts (and What Doesn't)
The rules have been consistent enough across the community that a few edge cases are worth pinning down before you start day one:
| Edge case | What counts on 75 Soft |
|---|---|
| Workout type | Any deliberate physical exertion — gym, run, swim, bike, sport, yoga, hike |
| Two 20-min workouts instead of one 45-min | No — the rule requires a single 45-minute session |
| Drinks besides water toward the gallon | Only water counts toward the gallon — coffee, tea, soda don't |
| Audiobooks vs physical books | Physical or e-reader: counts. Audiobook: does not under the strict reading rule |
| Alcohol during the 75 days | The four rules do not ban alcohol explicitly, but most rule-followers abstain — it disrupts sleep, hydration, and recovery |
| Cheat meals during the diet | No cheat meals for the 75 days — consistency is the point |
| Reading the same book across multiple days | Yes — progress counts, but each day needs ten fresh pages |
| Rest day from exercise | No — the workout rule fires every single day for 75 days |
75 Soft Rules vs 75 Hard
Both challenges share a 75-day duration and several overlapping tasks, but the differences are significant. 75 Soft has fewer daily tasks, drops the two-workout requirement, removes the photo/social proof rule, and forgives one missed day over the run. The full side-by-side — daily task counts, fail rules, and intensity — is covered in our 75 Hard vs 75 Soft comparison guide.
Ready to put the rules into action? Download the 75 Soft Challenge app for a free iOS tracker purpose-built around the four daily tasks, or use the free web tracker if you're on Android or prefer a browser experience. For a hands-on review of the app, see our 75 Soft app review, and if you're deciding between the two challenges, the 75 Hard vs 75 Soft comparison lays out the differences side by side.
FAQ
Common Questions About the Rules
How many rules are in the 75 Soft Challenge?
Four. One 45-minute workout, a sustainable diet, a gallon of water, and ten pages of nonfiction — every day for 75 days.
Can you do two workouts on 75 Soft?
No. The rules require one 45-minute workout per day. Two shorter sessions stacked together don't count, and the challenge explicitly drops the two-workout requirement that 75 Hard imposes.
Does alcohol break the 75 Soft rules?
The four rules don't mention alcohol explicitly, but the spirit of the challenge — sustainability and consistency — leans hard against it. Sleep, hydration, and recovery all take a hit, so most rule-followers abstain for the full 75 days.
Is there a flex day in 75 Soft?
Yes. 75 Soft allows one missed day over the 75-day run without forcing a full restart. After taking your flex day you pick up where you left off and continue on toward day 75.
What if I miss more than one day?
The official rules forgive a single missed day. More than one and most rule-followers treat that as a personal restart — back to day one with your newly minted streak. The protocol itself is silent on this, which is why a tracker helps you see your honest status.
Does the diet rule require a specific diet?
No. Pick your own eating pattern — your diet, not a prescribed one. The rule is consistency: stay on the diet you've chosen, with no cheat meals, for the full 75 days.