THE QUICK 75 HARD BOOK VERDICT: ANDY FRISELLA FANS WILL LOVE IT; CURIOUS READERS LIKELY WON’T
Die-hard fans loved the 75 Hard book for its signature Andy Frisella style, crude and blunt approach to sharing his program for “building toughness” in 75 days.
However, many curious readers, new to Andy Frisella’s content and attracted by the allure of the 75 hard complained about both the content and quality of the 75 Hard book.
One reviewer described the 75 Hard book as “…basically a high school coach prep talking a JV team.” Many other readers complained that the book was rife with spelling errors and grammatical mistakes and that much of the book revolves around Andy and his life instead of focusing on the challenge, benefits, and how to approach it.
Bottom Line: Fans of the source podcast may be familiar with and enjoy the style of content in the book, but curious readers interested because of the 75 day challenge for self-improvement, may find the book difficult to enjoy.
Note: This, article, the recommended challenges, and A Brother Abroad are not associated with or affiliated with 75 Hard, Andy Frisella, or 44Seven Media.
If you are interested in this book for the potential improvement and benefit of the 75 day hard challenge and interested in the more refined alternative book, consider checking out the 74 Day Habit Building Challenge.
ABOUT THE 75 HARD BOOK
Andy Frisella, creator of the MFCEO podcast and the Real AF podcast, took the internet and Tik Tok by storm with the birth of his “75 hard” challenge. The 75 hard challenge was born of a bet to get under 10% body fat within a specific timeframe. Andy’s resulting process to achieve that goal became the 75 hard challenge, which he dubbed as a challenge designed to build toughness.
The 75 hard challenge, Andy’s process, involves following 5 specific tasks, the “75 Hard Rules,” every day for 75 days. If you miss a task on any day, you start back at day 1.
THE 75 HARD RULES
1. Follow a diet
2. Workout twice a day for at least 45 minutes with one workout outside
3. Drink 4 liters of water per day
4. Read 10 pages of nonfiction each day
5. Take a progress picture each day
REVIEWS OF THE 75 HARD BOOK: EITHER LOVED OR HATED.
Though the tasks listed and then intention of the book (self-improvement) and the challenge within appear to have potential, opinions of the 75 Hard book have been split relatively evenly. Reviewing readers seemed to either loved the book or hate it.
Those who loved the book acknowledged Andy Frisella’s coarse and crude approach to writing, similar to what readers expected based on Andy’s Real AF podcast and the now-ended MFCEO podcast. Many of the readers that rated the book highly mentioned already listening to and enjoying the podcasts.
Reviewing readers who disliked the book repeatedly referenced poor spelling and grammar, which made the text difficult to read and enjoy, a lack of grounding in the ideas shared. Additionally, reviewers cited that a significant portion of the book (~40 pages of 150) was about Frisella and his experiences instead of the challenge, which is what they were most interested in, to begin with.
Based on hundreds of reviews, whether you will love this book or feel underwhelmed seems heavily dependent on whether you already enjoy Frisella’s podcast and style of communication.
MY THOUGHTS ON THE 75 HARD BOOK
Good content is polarizing, and very few books are written to appeal to everyone and do so successfully. Andy Frisella’s “75 Hard” book is undoubtedly polarizing. Some will love it, and some simply won’t. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that.
Additionally, I think exposure to varied, even radical ideas is good and promotes us to refine and define our own ideas, beliefs, and ethos – whether they align with or contradict the ideas we’ve newly been exposed to. For this reason, Andy Frisella’s opinions, experiences, and ideas do have a lot of value. However, the way they’re communicated and the unrefined and unedited (literally) content of the 75 Hard book makes the book a turnoff for me. Therefore, I would choose the podcasts over the book – as the animated and colorful presentation (on the podcast) make up for the crude content that can’t be compensated for in a book.
As for the challenge within the book, I love the idea of 75 days dedicated to self-improvement. However, as a fitness trainer, I find the fitness structure (2 workouts daily without rest over 75 days) unsustainable and a trap for injury if high-intensity workouts are the norm for you. This is definitely not something I would prescribe or program for a client.
Secondly, despite the challenge’s intentions with the tasks, it misses more development opportunities – mentally and emotionally. The challenge structure in the book is a great start, but there is lots of room for improvement.
THE BOTTOM LINE ON THE 75 HARD BOOK
IF YOU ARE ALREADY A FAN OF ANDY FRISELLA…
If you’re already ready a diehard fan of Andy Frisella, you will likely love the 75 Hard book, and your opinions of the book will mirror your opinions of the podcast.
IF YOU ARE AFTER SELF-IMPROVEMENT, AND PRIMARILY INTERESTED IN THE 75 DAY CHALLENGE…
If you’re interested in the 75 hard book specifically for the 75 day challenge and the self-development opportunity, not necessarily for Andry Frisella’s story and ethos, expect to be less satisfied than Andy’s raving fans.
If the 75 day challenge and self-development are what you’re interested in, I recommend considering the book 74 Day Habit Building Challenge instead.
Additionally, if you are after an enjoyable reading experience and well-written content, I highly recommend our Habit Building Challenge as an alternative.
Click here to view a preview of the Habit Building Challenge book on Amazon.
Or, click here to learn more about the alternative challenge…
74 HABIT BUILDING CHALLENGE: A LONG TERM FOCUSED ALTERNATIVE TO THE 75 HARD CHALLENGE
This book and the accompanying challenge are not affiliated with Andy Frisella or 75 hard.
The Habit BUilding CHallenge was inspired by following the frequently shared 75 day hard challenge rules shared on social media for 75 days and annotating what worked as well as what could be done better. The end product was this – a 75 day program for holistic, lifelong strength built by ingraining positive habits.
This book, the 74 Day Habit Building Challenge, breaks down how over 74 days you can not just achieve the completion of tasks, but build lifelong, valuable, foundational habits flexibly by completing 9 out of 10 beneficial actions each day that promote physical, mental, and emotional strength and health. At the end of the challenge of 74 days, you will have performed every action at least 66 times, which is the number proven in clinical research as the average number of times required to form a habit. The end result, after 74 days, is creating 10 new small but extremely significant habits that form the foundation of a stronger, better you.
THE 74 DAY HABIT BUILDING CHALLENGE “DAILY 10” TASKS
1. Be Thankful: List 20 things you are thankful for
2. Appreciate yourself: List 20 things you admire about yourself
3. Be Still: Sit quietly or meditate for 15 minutes
4. Move and mobilize: Exercise or stretch
5. Eat Healthily according to the guidelines provided
6. Skip Alcohol
7. Read a non-fiction book for 15 minutes
8. Learn a new concept or skill for 15 minutes
9. Do something you’re passionate about for 15 minutes
10. Record the process acknowledging your efforts
OUR HABIT BUILDING CHALLENGE VS. THE 75 HARD CHALLENGE: WHICH IS BEST FOR YOU?
75 Hard is a challenge designed to test you, and with completion as its goal. It will be tough, you will improve, and you will have bragging at the end. However, once the challenge ends, it’s on you to figure out what’s next.
In contrast, our approach of building habits aims to build strength – physically, mentally, and emotionally – by re-programming 10 foundational yet sustainable habits over 74 days. The primary goal isn’t the results on day 74. The primary goal is to automatize these actions, soon to be habits, by day 75, so the benefits of challenging yourself continue long after the “challenge.”
This means that by day 75, you will be smarter, stronger, happier, and healthier, but the benefits and improvements will only continue and increase from there.
IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN A CHALLENGE FOCUSED ON LONG TERM SELF IMPROVEMENT, CONSIDER THE HABIT BUILDING CHALLENGE OVER THE 75 HARD BOOK
What next?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Carlos is a nomad, slow traveler, and writer dedicated to helping others live abroad and travel better by using his 7+ years of experience living abroad and background as a management consultant and financial advisor to help other nomad and expats plot better paths for an international lifestyle. Click here to learn more about Carlos's story.