Experts have warned against trying a new, viral fitness challenge that involves hitting the gym twice a day and drinking extreme quantities of water in order to optimise fitness levels in just two and a half months.
The ’75-Hard’ challenge has taken social media by storm, with more than a million video clips shared by users documenting their experience of the diet and exercise regime.
Created by US-based author and podcaster Andy Frisella in 2019, the strict plan is said to trigger ‘physical and mental transformations’ via its five key elements.
Most crucial are two 45-minute workouts per day, which can be ‘whatever you need to do based on your fitness level’, according to Frisella’s website.
Participants must also drink eight pints (4.5litres) of water daily, quit alcohol, eat a generally healthy diet and dedicate at least 10 minutes per day to reading non-fiction, to benefit mental fitness.
But experts have warned that the plan is not only unrealistic, meaning participants are unlikely to stick to it, but it could result in serious health problems.
Drinking more than two litres of water a day without intensive exercise could affect the intricate balance of salts in the body, causing a range of distressing symptoms such as low blood pressure, nausea and vomiting and muscle spasms.
In the worst case scenario, the problem can lead to seizures and even coma.
‘If you drink too much water you become over-hydrated and become hyponatraemic, which is when your concentration of salts becomes too low,’ said Professor Peter Watt, a sports and exercise science expert at the University of Brighton.
‘This can cause other issues with your blood pressure and overall health.
‘Drinking a gallon of water is extreme. Even two litres a day is probably not essential to maintain your fluids.
The NHS recommends drinking around two litres — around six to eight glasses — of fluid per day, and more if you are exercising or in hot weather.
But social media users have touted the benefits of the plan, with one woman claiming it helped her lose more than two stone, and others saying it ‘transformed’ their relationship with food.
Frisella, the founder of the challenge, claims on his website that the 75-Hard challenge is the ‘only program that can permanently change your life from your way of thinking, to the level of discipline you approach every single task in front of you with.’
Sharing dramatic before and after images documenting how the plan boosted his muscle tone, he stressed that the ‘mental changes are 100 times greater than the physical changes’.
On his website, he claims those who have taken on the challenge became ‘better leaders at work’, ‘have ‘increased their income’ and have taken ‘complete control of their lives’.
Frisella, the founder of the challenge shared his own before and after images, but claimed the real benefit came from his ‘mental’ changes
Two people who have completed the challenge also shared their experience via social media.
Devamsha Gunput, 29, from Edinburgh, who completed 75-Hard last March while working full-time as a digital consultant, told the BBC the challenge was ‘uncomfortable’.
But it has meant she now exercises more regularly and that it has ‘transformed’ her relationship with food.
Sophie Deakins, 27, also completed 75-Hard last year while working as an assistant manager at a London cinema.
She said the challenge helped to shift her mindset and boosted her confidence.
Strength and conditioning coach Tana von Zitzewitz said those who are considering doing the workout challenge will need a lot of extra time making it hard to stick to.
‘There is so much pressure for people to transform their lives at this time of year,’ she told the BBC.
She suggested that those keen to start a new fitness routine should instead choose a plan that’s less hard-lined and inflexible, and more enjoyable.
Experts are split on whether this viral extreme fitness regime is really going to help you reach your fitness goals, suggesting it might be too much to cram into a day
Meanwhile, NHS GP Sam Whiteman said it’s unlikely that the 75-Hard will serve greater benefits than any other healthy eating and fitness plan.
‘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 told the BBC.
The new year is no stranger to fresh health and fitness crazes.
The regime follows other extreme fitness fads including burning 600 calories in 60 minutes and the 100 rep challenge, which involves performing 100 repetitions of a single exercise every day for a month.
The Covid pandemic saw a social media explosion of a fitness challenge called ‘everesting’, which saw participants ascending hills at a height of 8,848 metres — the same elevation of Mount Everest.
Some people cycle, run or take part in a relay to finish the mammoth task.
The NHS recommends adults aged 19 to 64 do at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity per week.
This could be 30 minutes a day, five days a week. Alternatively, you can do 75 minutes of vigorous intensity activity per week.
It suggests doing a mix of strengthening activities, such as yoga, weight lifting or carrying heavy shopping bags, moderate activity that raises your heart rate such as a brisk walk or a bike ride and vigorous activity such as a run or a swim.