Is the TikTok fitness challenge really worth it?

When you think of new year’s resolutions, a 75-day workout might not top the list.

But that’s what’s going viral this year as people take to TikTok to document their progress.

First, the ground rules: you stick to a healthy diet with no cheat meals or alcohol.

Plus on each of the 75 days, you do two 45-minute workouts, one of them outside, drink more than three litres of water and read 10 pages of a non-fiction book.

Easy, right? Well in case you fancy your chances, two people who have finished the challenge told us what it’s really like – and experts have cautioned that if it sounds a bit strict, something more relaxed might work better for you.

Meet 29-year-old Devamsha Gunput, who completed 75 Hard last March whilst working full-time as a digital consultant for a large corporation.

“It was definitely hard,” she tells the BBC. “Also living in Edinburgh, it was dark, wet and cold and you had to do one of the workouts outside.”

Devamsha says one of the most challenging aspects of 75 Hard was “setting boundaries” when visiting her South Asian family so that she could be strict with her diet.

“Having to exercise twice a day and be strict on my diet were really uncomfortable and new areas for me to tackle, because I hadn’t had that conversation before,” she says.

But since completing the challenge, she’s noticing the lasting impacts so far.

“I exercise a lot more regularly, my reading habits and my relationship with food have transformed,” she says.

While 75 Hard has turned into a viral craze over the last few weeks, it was actually invented back in 2019 by author and podcaster Andy Frisella.

He said on his podcast that he’s spent “20 years figuring out how to master mental toughness” and has used this knowledge to create the plan.

He is not a qualified personal trainer or doctor and does not give guidance over what classifies as a healthy diet in the plan, but it’s understood to mean balanced and nutrient-rich.

More relaxed variations of the challenge have been popping up on social media recently, called 75 Soft and 75 Medium, in which participants can have the odd alcoholic drink and unhealthy meal while still doing exercise and reading.

Sophie Deakins, 27, also completed 75 Hard last year while working as an assistant manager at a London cinema.

She says she undertook the challenge after struggling “with discipline and consistency” with other plans.

She overhauled her diet, cutting out chocolate and sweets but allowing for anything with naturally occurring sugar, like fruit and honey.

Sophie also made all her meals at home and tracked her protein and water consumption using an app.

She found it useful to give herself small rewards like getting her nails done or buying a new book, but the hardest part was socialising for her, as this would revolve around eating out and drinking alcohol.

To solve this, she explains: “I was very vocal about what I was doing, so there was no pressure when I got there [to social events] but there was still real self-discipline to do it.”

Since completing it, she’s stuck to some part of the plan such as not eating out or buying unnecessary coffees and cakes, helping her “save so much money”.

“But the biggest thing is probably a mindset shift – the encouragement I got from knowing I can do it, the excuses about time and self-doubt are all gone,” she says.

But the challenge isn’t for everyone, which is something strength and conditioning coach Tana von Zitzewitz wants those who are considering it to bear in mind.

“You need a lot of time, not only for the workouts, but for reading the book – it seems a lot to try and cram into one day,” she tells the BBC.

“I definitely think there are elements people can implement, committing to 45 minutes of daily movement, being conscious of drinking more water and reducing screen time, but you need to be aware of what’s involved,” Tana adds.

Another aspect is motivation. “There is so much pressure for people to transform their lives at this time of year,” she says.

She suggests finding a way to “challenge yourself while also being kind”, so that you add fun and value to every day, without exercise and food feeling like a punishment.

From a medical perspective, it is difficult to determine whether 75 Hard is beneficial.

NHS GP Sam Whiteman points out that, because “it has not been studied” in a clinical setting, it cannot claim to change your life in any way.

He also says that it would need to be compared to a more basic regime, to see if that could achieve the same results.

“If it’s a way for people to get out and be active then I am all for it, but if it’s a question of whether this is better than going to the gym three times a week or going for a run once a week and eating healthily, then I am not sure,” he adds.

Hitting certain criteria isn’t the intention of 75 Hard’s founder, Mr Frisella. He doesn’t set any rules that involve losing a certain amount of weight, for example.

While the challenge encourages people to take progress pictures each day, much of the TikTok content around it focuses on how the person feels at the end rather than how they look, helping to avoid unhealthy fixations with appearance.

Dr Whiteman recommends visiting the NHS Live Well website, which has tips on what constitutes a healthy weight, diet and exercise regime, along with mental health and sleep advice.