75 Soft Challenge Rules: The 4 Rules, What Counts, and a Free Checklist

75 Soft is the version of the 75-day challenge for people who looked at 75 Hard, with its two workouts a day and its restart-from-zero rule, and decided they would like to keep their job and their friends. It has four rules, they are doable on a normal weekday, and a bad day does not erase the good ones.

This page lays out the 75 Soft challenge rules exactly, then goes through what actually counts for each one, because that is where most people get stuck. There is a free printable checklist at the end and a note on how to track it on your phone.

The 75 Soft challenge rules

Every day, for 75 days:

1. Eat well, and only drink alcohol on social occasions. No named diet. You decide what "well" means and you stick to it.
2. Train for 45 minutes. One day a week is active recovery instead: a walk, a stretch, an easy swim.
3. Drink 3 litres of water.
4. Read 10 pages of a book. Any book, but a book, not a feed.

That is the whole list. Some people add a fifth rule of their own, such as a daily progress photo, a skincare routine or a screen curfew. That is fine, but it is decoration. The four rules are the challenge.

What counts: the rules, one at a time

Rule 1: eat well, alcohol only on social occasions

This is the rule people argue about, because "well" is not a number. The working definition: food you would defend out loud if someone asked you what you ate today. A home-cooked dinner counts. A sandwich and an apple at your desk counts. Three biscuits for lunch because you were busy does not, and you know it does not, which is the point.

The alcohol clause means a glass of wine at a birthday dinner is within the rules. A glass of wine alone on a Tuesday because it was a long day is not. The rule is about drinking as a habit, not drinking as an event.

Rule 2: 45 minutes of training, one recovery day a week

Anything done on purpose counts: gym, a run, a class, a long fast walk, a bike commute you would normally have driven, a yoga video on the living room floor. What does not count is the walk to the shop that you would have done anyway. The 45 minutes can be split into two sessions if you must, but one block is easier to keep honest.

The recovery day is a rule, not a loophole. You still move for 45 minutes. You just do it gently. Skipping it entirely is how people get injured in week four.

Rule 3: 3 litres of water

Plain water. Tea and coffee do not count towards the three litres, though nobody is telling you to give them up. The easiest way to hit it is a one-litre bottle finished three times: one by lunch, one by the end of work, one by bed. If three litres leaves you running to the bathroom every twenty minutes in week one, spread it out more evenly rather than drinking a litre at once.

Rule 4: 10 pages of a book

Fiction counts. Audiobooks are a grey area, and most people who run the challenge properly say no, because the rule is about ten minutes of focused attention away from a screen, and an audiobook while you cook is not that. E-readers are fine. Ten pages is roughly fifteen minutes and it is the rule most people are surprised to find is the hardest.

What happens if you miss a day?

Nothing, structurally. You do not restart. You do not add days at the end. You wake up the next day and tick the four boxes again. This is the single biggest difference from 75 Hard, where one incomplete day sends you back to day one.

The honest warning that goes with that: "no restart" turns into "no challenge" if nobody sees you miss. People who finish 75 Soft almost always have one witness, a friend running it alongside them, a group chat, a tracker that shows the gap. The rules are soft. Your accountability should not be.

75 Soft vs 75 Hard, in one table's worth of words

• Workouts: 75 Hard is two 45-minute workouts a day, one of them outdoors, no rest days. 75 Soft is one 45-minute session with a weekly recovery day.
• Diet: 75 Hard is a strict diet of your choosing with zero alcohol and no cheat meals. 75 Soft is "eat well" with alcohol allowed at social events.
• Water: 75 Hard is one gallon (about 3.8 litres). 75 Soft is 3 litres.
• Reading: both are 10 pages a day. 75 Hard specifies non-fiction and self-development. 75 Soft says any book.
• Progress photo: required daily in 75 Hard. Optional in 75 Soft.
• Miss a day: 75 Hard restarts from day one. 75 Soft carries on.

There is also a "75 Medium" that people run informally, which keeps most of Hard's rules but drops the restart. If you are choosing, the honest question is whether you have ever kept a daily habit for 75 days before. If not, start with Soft. Finishing Soft beats quitting Hard on day twelve.

A week-by-week feel for the 75 days

• Week 1: everything is novel and the water rule dominates your day. Buy the big bottle.
• Weeks 2 and 3: the workouts become routine and reading becomes the box you tick at 11pm in bed. Move it earlier.
• Week 4: the first social event with alcohol. The rule allows it. Have one, not four.
• Weeks 5 to 7: the middle. The most common quitting point, because nothing dramatic is happening. This is where the witness earns their keep.
• Weeks 8 to 10: the habits are automatic and you start noticing the changes other people mention.
• Day 75: take the photo you should have taken on day one.

Mistakes that quietly break the challenge

• Redefining "eat well" downwards in week three. Write your definition on day one and do not edit it.
• Counting incidental movement as the workout. The 45 minutes is on purpose or it is not the rule.
• Saving the reading for bed. Ten pages at 11:40pm becomes four pages and a lie.
• Tracking in your head. By day twenty you will not remember whether Tuesday counted. Tick a box, on paper or on a phone, every single day.
• Doing it alone. See the warning above. Soft rules need a hard witness.

How to track 75 Soft

On paper

A one-page checklist with the four rules and 75 day boxes is enough. Our sister site Bloom has a free printable 75 Soft checklist, A4, no email address required. Stick it on the fridge or inside the wardrobe door where you see it every morning.

On your phone

Bloom is our challenge tracker for exactly this. Pick a 75-day challenge or set your own daily rules, tick them off each day, keep the streak, and check in with a partner who remembers why you started. It is built for the weeks-five-to-seven problem, when the novelty has worn off and nobody else is watching.

Frequently asked questions

Who created the 75 Soft challenge?

It grew out of the fitness community as a gentler answer to 75 Hard, which was created by Andy Frisella. There is no single owner and no official rulebook, which is why you will see slightly different versions online. The four rules above are the ones almost everyone agrees on.

Can I drink coffee on 75 Soft?

Yes. Coffee and tea are fine. They just do not count towards the three litres of water.

Do I have to take progress photos?

No. It is a popular optional fifth rule, and a day-one photo is worth taking even if you never take another, because day 75 you will want the comparison.

Can I do 75 Soft while training for something else?

Yes, and it fits well. A marathon plan or a strength programme already covers rule two. The challenge adds the water, the reading and the honest eating around it.

What if I get sick?

Rest. A gentle walk counts as your recovery day, and if you cannot manage that, you miss the day and carry on when you are better. The no-restart rule exists for exactly this.

Can I do it with a friend?

You should. Two people ticking the same four boxes and checking in once a day is the most reliable way to reach day 75. Bloom lets you run it alongside a partner for that reason.

Four rules, 75 days, no restart. Write your definition of "eat well" today, buy the big bottle, and find your witness.