WHAT 75 HARD TAUGHT ME

By: Nick Chapman

​My third attempt and second successful completion of the 75 Hard program began on Tuesday, December 27th 2022. This is a mental toughness program to pull out the mental and physical discipline we all have in us. Yes, it has some fitness aspects to it, but it is mainly about pushing yourself mentally and sharpening your mind. The 7 daily tasks for 75 days straight with absolutely zero compromise are as follows:

• Two 45 min workouts.

• One of the two must be outside. Both can be outside, but at least one of the two must be outdoors 

• Read 10 pages of a self-development style book

• Follow a diet

• No cheat meals and no alcohol 

• Drink 1 gallon of water

• Take a progress picture 

There is an app you can download that costs around $5.00 and it helps you keep track of everything daily. I highly recommend the app, but it is not required. To learn more about the program listen to episode 168 of Andy Frisella’s podcast or his book 75 Hard: A Tactical Guide to Winning the War with Yourself. Andy Frisella, the creator of the program, has really done a great job representing the benefits of the program by following it himself and losing over 100lbs during the process. It’s worth learning about his story if you’re interested in doing the program. He continues to do this program year after year to continuously grow and improve.

So, Tuesday December 27th was day one. I had a lot of upcoming holiday parties and family events. Most of us are in the thought process that January 1st is when we will start our new life. We will eat healthy, work out, and become more disciplined to reach our goals. However, I didn’t want to be a statistic. I wanted to use this opportunity to get ahead of my competition. I felt I had this competitive edge and I really wanted to test myself. This meant attending these holiday family events and work parties with restraint. I refused to give into social pressure. It felt great to start off 75 Hard with such intensity. I was actually pretty disappointed in those who I thought of as winners when they decided they wanted to wait until all the fun was over before getting started. There will always be an excuse to avoid the discomfort, but if you’re not improving, you’re declining. One of my favorite quotes is, “Do what others are not willing to do so when the time comes you can do what others can’t.” That quote was my motivation every single time someone gave me an excuse. I started to grip onto these situations because I knew they were opportunities to separate myself from the pack.

So, I told you that I had three attempts and two successful completions. Let’s first discuss my failure. My first attempt at 75 Hard was when I was working for Supplement Superstore part time in 2020. This was during the pandemic, so many gyms were shut down and restricted. The gym I owned at the time was hemorrhaging money due to the restrictions, so I decided it was best to get a part time job to help stay afloat while the gym was struggling. The problem of trying the program during that time was that my intent was not there. I was doing it because others in the company were, and I thought it would further my career. I wasn’t doing it for myself. After two weeks, I went out to lunch with my wife and decided to get a beer and enjoy my time with her. I am not proud of that, but it’s the truth. My mind was not ready for the program. With all the stress of the shutdowns and the unknown I couldn’t get myself to commit to the program. Over 2 years later and 2 more successful completions of 75 Hard, I know now it is exactly what I should have done then. I should have known that having a beer with my wife didn’t have to equate to enjoying my time with her. We could have done that without the beer. It was an excuse. I am not dwelling on the past, but I do recognize the reality of that situation and that I was not mentally tough enough at that moment in life.

Alright, we got the failure out of the way. Let’s talk about success. My first successful completion of 75 Hard, I really learned how much I enjoyed reading and the benefits of it. The first book I read was Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins. This may not be a book for everyone, but it is a great book to start a mental toughness program with. Since that first successful completion, I have read over 13 books in around 13 months. We’re not even including books I have listened to on audio. Add those and I have read around 20 books. This second attempt was about my personal success and drive. Also, I wanted to keep a promise I made to myself. I purposely logged out of all social media platforms. At that time I had the mindset that I didn’t need to show people I was doing the program because it was 100% for me. In fact, I didn’t tell my wife for the first 10 days until she approached me asking questions. I made the choice on a Thursday morning. Made it through the first day, then the second, and so on. I told a few people I was doing the program but less than a handful. It was my little secret and the goal was to complete the program at all costs. One of my biggest challenges was getting sick on day 13. I tested positive for covid and it knocked me down pretty bad. I had an important conversation during this time. My mentor and coach, Josh, lit a fire under me. On a call he let me know that he needed to see how tough I was, and that conversation was enough to get me through the sickness. I would do 45 minutes of cardio twice a day, outdoors. Sometimes I would have to sit down on the sidewalk just to muster up enough energy to finish. Regrettably, during this first completion I was not always as prepared as I should have been. This meant I would have to come home and do both my workouts in the evening time. I set a rule that my workouts had to be a minimum of 3 hours apart. If I started my first workout at 4:00 PM then I would not be able to start my second workout until 7:00 PM. This happened a few too many times, but I am proud to say I still got it done. It was a struggle to complete the program both physically and mentally, but I was able to do it and that gave me the confidence in myself I knew I needed to find. 

I am writing this blog on day 76 after completing my most recent 75 Hard. After I did this once, I knew I could do it again, but better. I wanted to absolutely dominate the program, but this time I wanted to document the process on social media and hopefully show others that they too can do it. Even if my audience does not participate in the 75 Hard program, I thought, at minimum, I could inspire them to be better in their life. I was touched every time someone new in my life decided to start 75 Hard. Over 5 people in my life attempted to or are in the process of completing the program right now. An additional handful have started a fitness program and/or started reading more due to my influence.

What my day looked like on 75 Hard:

4:00am-4:30am: Me Time

Drink black coffee and water

Review my 5 critical tasks (to do list)

Review and visualize my goals 

4:30am – 5:00am: Prepare for day

Change clothes and head to the gym.

5:00am-6:15am: Gym

Strength training at Club Fitness. (I follow a hypertrophy program to build muscle)

6:20am- 3:30pm: 

Work

6:30 am: 

Two-scoop protein with water

11:00am: 

6-8 ounces of lean meat, potatoes or cauliflower rice and hot sauce with a zero-sugar energy drink

3:30pm-8:00pm: 

Home

4:00pm: 

Eat something that is high in protein and fiber. Usually, protein pancakes or something. 

5:00pm: 

Outdoor cardio for 45 minutes which was around 2.4 miles. Many times, my wife Jayme would join me. We both agree that this was a great benefit for the communication in our relationship. We have had some of our best conversations during these cardio sessions, plus I enjoyed her company. 

6:00pm:

Chores, eat dinner, and spend time with family. 

8:00pm-9:00pm: 

Prepare for tomorrow. Your day begins the night before

Read 10+ Pages

Write down my tasks for the next day and life goals.

Lay out my gym and work clothes.

9:00pm:

 200 Calorie protein bar and a glass low-fat Fairlife milk

I really wanted to focus on building muscle this time, so this required not missing my lifting sessions in the mornings. I am proud to say that I only slept in one time and had to do two cardio workouts in the evening to compensate. I would try to be asleep by 10:00 PM at the latest so I could maintain a minimum of 6 hours of sleep each night. I followed this routine almost perfectly every day for 75 days. Obviously, things would come up and I would have to pivot my timing here and there. On weekends, I would work around a different schedule to adhere to those obligations, but Monday-Fridays looked exactly like outlined above.

I’ve learned that we have more in us than we think. Every time I think I am reaching my potential, I bust through another level I didn’t know existed. Some days were hard, it’s not called 75 Easy, right? I was exhausted. With training twice a day and being in the construction trade my body would get pretty beat up. My mind felt strong, but some days my body just felt as though it was taking a beating. Especially on demolition days at work where it was very labor intensive. I succeeded due to relentless organization and preparation. I stayed one step ahead. I learned from my last attempt at the program that you cannot be too prepared or organized. Being overly prepared was key. I refused to relax because I knew that if I had time to relax then I should be planning for the future. This allowed me to handle those curveballs life throws at you. If I had to work late, it wasn’t going to lead to failure because all my meals were prepared and packed for me. I would eat chicken and rice cold if I had to. I didn’t care. I was overly prepared and relentless in action.

This program and this last successful attempt at it were so important to me because it became less about my success and more about influencing others. I influenced friends, family, and co-workers to bring out the best in themselves. I'm surrounded by many hardworking individuals who believed they were giving life everything they had. But when they saw me achieving more, they realized it was obtainable for them as well. This program also allowed me to become more aware of my support systems. My wife especially. While it was up to me to complete the tasks, she never made me feel guilty for having to say no or adjusting our lifestyle to help me succeed. My business coach and mentor, Josh, really put the pressure on me to be my very best. In addition, many of my co-works were encouraging and supportive of this program.

If I could give one piece of advice, it is to get freaking started! Too many people overthink the tasks of the program. It’s paralysis by analysis. The point of the program is to have the utmost integrity with yourself. Everyone wants the rules made for them but that misses the point. The program makes you talk to yourself and stop doing the things you know you shouldn’t.The best part of the program is that it’s scalable. Everyone, regardless of age, gender, or physical limitations, can complete the daily tasks. If you are truly uncertain about what type of fitness program or meal plan to adhere to then hire me or another personal trainer at your local gym.

I promise you one thing: You will not regret finishing 75 Hard, also known as “the mental iron man”. Remember, I believe in you. Most importantly, do you believe in yourself?!

My comparison photo from Day 1 and Day 75.