75 Medium Challenge: Rules and How It Compares to 75 Soft

The 75 Medium Challenge is the middle child of the 75-day challenge family — tougher than 75 Soft, but far more forgiving than 75 Hard. It keeps a single daily workout and drops the restart-from-Day-1 penalty, while adding structure that 75 Soft leaves optional: no alcohol, daily meditation, and no rest days. Here are the full rules and an honest look at whether 75 Medium is the right step for you.

What is the 75 Medium Challenge?

The 75 Medium Challenge is a 75-day habit-building program that sits between 75 Soft and 75 Hard in difficulty. It spread on TikTok as a community "remix" for people who found 75 Soft too easy but weren't ready for the two-a-day workouts and all-or-nothing restart rule of 75 Hard. Like 75 Soft, a missed day doesn't reset your progress — you simply continue.

75 Medium Challenge rules

The most-cited version of the 75 Medium Challenge has seven daily requirements:

1. One 45-minute workout every day — no rest days, but only one session (not two like 75 Hard).
2. Follow any diet at 90% adherence — pick your approach (Mediterranean, paleo, vegan, etc.) and stick to it 90% of the time, leaving ~10% flexibility.
3. No alcohol — stricter than 75 Soft, which allows social drinks.
4. Drink half your body weight (in lbs) in ounces of water — e.g. 160 lbs → 80 oz.
5. 10 minutes of personal development — reading OR audiobook both count.
6. 5 minutes of meditation or prayer — a built-in mindfulness habit.
7. Take a progress photo on Day 1 and Day 75 — not daily.

Many versions also suggest at least one workout outdoors each week. Because 75 Medium has no official creator or rulebook, treat the list above as the community consensus and don't take any single poster's version as gospel.

75 Medium vs 75 Soft vs 75 Hard

Is 75 Medium harder than 75 Soft?

Yes. 75 Medium adds four things 75 Soft doesn't require: a strict no-alcohol rule, daily meditation, no weekly rest day, and a defined 90/10 diet standard. The daily workout length is the same, and neither has a restart penalty — but the extra structure makes 75 Medium a meaningful step up in commitment.

Should you do 75 Medium or 75 Soft?

Choose 75 Soft if you're new to challenges, have a busy or unpredictable schedule, want a weekly recovery day, or don't want to give up the occasional social drink. It's the most sustainable on-ramp.

Choose 75 Medium if 75 Soft has started to feel too easy and you want more structure — a defined diet standard, no alcohol, and a daily mindfulness habit — without the two-a-day workouts and restart rule of 75 Hard. Many people run 75 Soft first, then use 75 Medium as their "level two."

Whichever you pick, the daily-habit core is identical, so the tracking is the same. The free Soft75 app lets you check off your workout, water, reading, and diet each day — and it works just as well for a 75 Medium run, since you can log the same tasks plus your meditation streak.

Ready to compare all three in depth? Read the full 75 Soft vs 75 Hard vs 75 Medium guide, or start with the 75 Soft Challenge rules.