75 Hard workout rules: what counts, the outdoor rule and a week that works
75 Hard asks for two workouts every day, at least 45 minutes each, with one outdoors regardless of weather. Cleveland Clinic's summary adds that they should be three hours apart. Garage Gym Reviews says a 45-minute walk can count as a session. There is no rest day, so plan an easy and a hard one.
General information, not medical advice. Stop if you feel dizzy or unwell, and ask a professional about any health concern.
The rule in one line
Two workouts a day, 45 minutes or more each, one of them outdoors, for 75 days, with no rest day. The official info page says it does not prescribe the workouts: any fitness programme will do. That freedom is the part to use.
What counts
The official page sets no list, so these come from write-ups and are an interpretation, not a ruling.
| Activity | Likely to count? | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Brisk walk, 45 minutes or more | Yes, per Garage Gym Reviews | The usual choice for the outdoor session |
| Run, cycle, swim | Yes | Any sustained effort works |
| Weights, bodyweight, HIIT | Yes | Named as options by Garage Gym Reviews |
| Yoga or Pilates | Yes | Also named as options |
| Walking the dog, errands, commuting | Grey | If you have to ask, it probably does not count |
| A 30-minute session plus a 15-minute stretch | Grey | The rule is 45 minutes of workout |
When in doubt, apply the strict reading: a workout is a planned block of exercise that you can describe in one sentence and time on a clock.
The outdoor rule
Cleveland Clinic's summary says one workout has to be outdoors, regardless of weather. Many forum commenters read that as "exposed to the elements": if it rains you get wet, and a patio cover does not count. We could not find that wording on an official page, so it is a community convention. It is also the strictest and simplest reading, and the one that is hardest to argue with yourself about.
Safety still applies. Dress for the weather, and use common sense in ice, lightning or extreme heat. A planned fallback, like a 45-minute walk in a rain jacket, beats a skipped task.
Three hours apart
Cleveland Clinic's summary says the workouts should be three hours apart. Not every write-up includes the spacing, but it is an easy rule to follow, and it gives you two separate efforts instead of one long session cut in half.
An example week that does not break you
Two sessions a day with no rest day goes well past the CDC's adult baseline of 150 weekly minutes of moderate activity. A strength and conditioning specialist quoted by CNN warns that this volume, with no recovery days, raises the risk of overuse injury, fatigue and burnout. A runner who paired the challenge with marathon training told CNN she ended up with days of four hours or more of exercise.
The fix is variety: one hard session and one easy session each day, and never two hard ones. This is an example, not a prescription.
| Day | Session 1 (indoors or out) | Session 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Mon | Strength, full body | Outdoor brisk walk |
| Tue | Easy bike or swim | Outdoor walk |
| Wed | Strength, full body | Outdoor walk |
| Thu | Yoga or mobility | Outdoor run or walk |
| Fri | Strength, full body | Outdoor walk |
| Sat | Longer outdoor session | Easy mobility |
| Sun | Light movement | Outdoor walk |
If you are not currently training, do not start here. The beginner prep plan builds up to it, and the softer versions cut the load.
Three ways to schedule it
Time pressure is the real challenge, so here are three templates with the three-hour gap built in. They are examples to adapt.
- Office hours: outdoor walk at 6:30 am, gym or home session at 6:00 pm.
- Parent on a school run: outdoor walk right after drop-off, a home session after the kids are in bed, with a fallback of an indoor session at lunch.
- Shift worker: anchor both sessions to the end of your shift, not the clock, and check each week that the outdoor one still falls in daylight.
Pick the pattern you can repeat when you are tired, not the one that looks best on paper.
Where runs actually fail
Scheduling, not fitness, is what ends most attempts. Check the next 75 days of your calendar and mark the days with early flights, late shifts and social events. On those days, place both workouts first, and put the outdoor walk in the morning, so rain at night cannot cancel it. If you do miss one, here is what counts as a restart and what to do next.
Keep score somewhere you will see
Two workouts a day means 150 workouts over 75 days. That is too many to hold in your head. A checklist on the wall (the printable 75-day sheet has a box for each workout), a note on your phone or a challenge app all work, as long as you update it the moment you finish. Ninety, for instance, puts your day counter, your streak and today's disciplines on the first screen, and its listing mentions photo proof for workouts. Whatever you use, the complete rules checklist shows the full list of tasks it needs to hold.
Questions people ask
Does a walk count as a workout on 75 Hard?
Garage Gym Reviews says a 45-minute walk can count as a session. The official page does not set a type or intensity, so a brisk walk is the usual choice for the second workout. Whether it counts for you depends on the rule set you follow.
Do the two workouts have to be separate?
Yes. Cleveland Clinic's summary says the two 45-minute workouts should be three hours apart. Other write-ups just say two workouts, so the safe reading is to keep them clearly separate.
Does the outdoor workout count if it rains?
Cleveland Clinic says one must be outdoors regardless of weather. Many forum users say you should be exposed to the elements, not under a cover. We could not confirm that wording on an official page, so treat it as common practice.
Can I do 75 Hard with an injury?
Talk to a doctor first. The programme has no rest day or exception, and experts warn about overuse injuries. An injury is a good reason to switch to a softer version or stop.
Sources
- 75 HARD official info page (Andy Frisella) Read via a page-to-text summary. Two workouts a day, one outdoors; the page does not specify the workouts, so any routine can be used.
- Cleveland Clinic: the 75 Hard challenge and its rules Read via a page-to-text summary. At least 45 minutes each, three hours apart, one outdoors regardless of weather.
- Garage Gym Reviews: what is the 75 Hard challenge Read via a page-to-text summary. A 45-minute walk can count; strength training, HIIT, yoga and Pilates are named as options.
- CNN via ABC17: should you try the 75 Hard challenge? Read via a page-to-text summary. Overuse injury and burnout warning; one runner's experience of the volume.
- CDC: physical activity guidelines for adults Read via a page-to-text summary. 150 minutes of moderate activity a week plus two days of muscle-strengthening.
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