You want this year to be different. You're ready for a challenge. You've heard about 75 Hard and you've heard about Misogi. Both promise transformation through difficulty.
But which one is right for you?
These approaches might seem similar on the surface—both involve committing to something hard. But underneath, they're built on fundamentally different philosophies, demand different things, and produce different outcomes.
This isn't about which one is "better." It's about which one fits your goals, personality, and life situation.
What Is 75 Hard?
Created by entrepreneur Andy Frisella, 75 Hard is a mental toughness program with strict, non-negotiable daily requirements for 75 consecutive days:
The daily requirements:
- Follow a diet (any diet, but no cheat meals and no alcohol)
- Two 45-minute workouts (one must be outdoors)
- Drink 1 gallon of water
- Read 10 pages of a non-fiction/self-improvement book
- Take a progress photo
The catch: If you miss any single requirement, you start over at Day 1. No exceptions. No modifications. No excuses.
The rigidity is intentional. Frisella designed 75 Hard as a mental toughness challenge, not a fitness program. The specific activities matter less than the discipline of completing them daily without fail.
What Is Misogi?
Misogi is a different animal entirely. Rooted in ancient Japanese purification rituals, the modern interpretation is simple: choose one year-defining challenge that stretches you and makes the year unforgettable.
Not five tasks. Not daily requirements. One thing.
Examples of Misogis:
- Run your first marathon
- Write and finish a novel
- Climb a major mountain
- Go an entire year without alcohol
- Launch a business
- Complete an Ironman triathlon
The Misogi philosophy, popularized by Jesse Itzler, emphasizes choosing a goal with about a 50% chance of success—ambitious enough to require growth, realistic enough to be achievable with sustained effort.
The Fundamental Differences
These approaches diverge in almost every dimension:
Duration
75 Hard: 75 consecutive days. Approximately 2.5 months. A defined sprint with a clear endpoint.
Misogi: Typically a full year (though the challenge itself might be a single event like a marathon). The preparation and pursuit define the year.
Structure
75 Hard: Hyper-specific requirements. No flexibility. The same five things every single day for 75 days.
Misogi: Self-defined and flexible. You choose what your challenge is and how you pursue it. The only requirement is that it's meaningful and difficult.
Focus
75 Hard: Multi-dimensional by design. Diet, fitness, hydration, reading, and documentation simultaneously. It's explicitly about doing many things at once.
Misogi: Single-focused by design. One goal beats ten goals. All energy flows toward a single pursuit.
Failure
75 Hard: Binary and brutal. One slip-up and you restart from zero. Day 74 becomes Day 0 if you miss your outdoor workout.
Misogi: Nuanced. Missing a day of training doesn't restart anything. Setbacks are expected. The question is whether you achieve the ultimate goal, not whether every day was perfect.
Success Criteria
75 Hard: Complete all requirements for 75 consecutive days. Success is defined by compliance with the rules.
Misogi: Achieve your chosen challenge. Success is defined by the outcome you set for yourself.
Philosophy
75 Hard: Mental toughness through rigid discipline and zero tolerance for deviation.
Misogi: Transformation through focused pursuit of something meaningful and personally chosen.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Dimension | 75 Hard | Misogi |
|---|---|---|
| Duration | 75 days | 1 year |
| Daily Requirements | 5 specific tasks | Self-determined |
| Focus | Multiple simultaneous habits | One primary goal |
| Flexibility | None (restart on any failure) | High (setbacks expected) |
| Success Definition | Perfect compliance for 75 days | Achieving chosen goal |
| Origin | Andy Frisella (2019) | Japanese Shinto (ancient) / Jesse Itzler (modern) |
| Core Philosophy | Discipline through rigidity | Transformation through challenge |
The Case for 75 Hard
75 Hard works well in specific situations:
When You Need a Hard Reset
If your life feels out of control—you've been eating poorly, drinking too much, neglecting exercise, letting yourself slide—75 Hard provides an aggressive correction. The rigid structure leaves no room for negotiation with yourself.
When You Thrive on Clear Rules
Some people do better with explicit instructions than ambiguous guidance. If you prefer being told exactly what to do rather than designing your own challenge, 75 Hard's specificity is a feature, not a bug.
When You Want Comprehensive Change
75 Hard attacks multiple life areas simultaneously: fitness, nutrition, hydration, intellectual growth, and self-documentation. If you want holistic improvement across many dimensions at once, this is the program.
When 75 Days Matches Your Timeline
For whatever reason—a wedding, a reunion, a deadline—you might want a defined transformation window. 75 Hard provides that container.
When You've Never Completed a Hard Challenge
The binary nature of 75 Hard (complete or restart) creates powerful psychological stakes. For people who tend to let themselves off the hook, the all-or-nothing structure can be galvanizing.
The Case for Misogi
Misogi works well in different situations:
When You Want Something Memorable
75 Hard produces discipline. Misogi produces memories. In ten years, you probably won't remember that you did 75 Hard in early 2025. But you'll remember the year you ran your first marathon, wrote your novel, or climbed Kilimanjaro.
When You Have a Specific Dream
If there's something you've always wanted to accomplish—a race, a creative project, a professional milestone—Misogi provides the framework to pursue it. 75 Hard can't help you write a novel; a novel-focused Misogi can.
When Life Is Already Demanding
75 Hard requires 90+ minutes of daily workout time plus all the other requirements. If you have young children, a demanding job, or other significant responsibilities, the rigid daily requirements may be unsustainable.
Misogi is more flexible. Some days you make huge progress. Some days you make small progress. The focus is on the overall arc, not daily perfection.
When You Want Identity Transformation
Completing 75 Hard makes you someone who completed 75 Hard. That's meaningful, but it's about compliance to someone else's program.
Completing a Misogi makes you a marathoner, an author, a mountaineer, a business owner—whatever your chosen challenge transforms you into. The identity shift is specific to your ambition.
When You're Wary of Burnout
75 Hard's intensity for 75 straight days can lead to burnout, especially if life throws curveballs. The all-or-nothing structure means that a family emergency, illness, or unavoidable commitment can wipe out weeks of progress.
Misogi's longer timeline and flexible structure allows for sustainable pursuit. You can push hard when life permits and maintain when it doesn't.
Common Concerns with Each
75 Hard Concerns
"It's too rigid." By design. If flexibility is what you need, 75 Hard isn't it.
"The restart rule is brutal." Also by design. But it does mean that day-to-day anxiety can be high, and people sometimes quit entirely rather than restart after a failure.
"Two workouts a day is excessive." It can be, especially for people with demanding schedules or physical limitations. The outdoor requirement can also be challenging depending on weather and location.
"There's no guidance on which diet or what books." This is actually a feature—you customize these elements. But it does require self-direction.
Misogi Concerns
"It's too vague." Compared to 75 Hard's explicit rules, definitely. You have to define your own challenge, track your own progress, and hold yourself accountable.
"How do I know I'm pushing hard enough?" The 50% rule helps: your Misogi should have about a 50% chance of success. If you're confident you'll succeed, the goal isn't ambitious enough.
"A year is a long time." It is. Misogi requires sustained commitment through months when motivation is low. Without the daily restart pressure of 75 Hard, some people may drift.
"What if I change my mind about my goal?" This happens. Part of choosing a Misogi is committing to something you genuinely want, not something that just sounds impressive.
Can You Do Both?
Technically, yes. You could use 75 Hard as a springboard to a larger Misogi. For example:
- Do 75 Hard to build baseline fitness
- Then train for and complete an Ironman (your Misogi)
Or you could use a Misogi approach for the year and include a 75 Hard stint as part of your training.
But trying to do both simultaneously—75 Hard's daily multi-requirements while pursuing a specific Misogi goal—would be overwhelming for most people. The philosophies somewhat conflict: 75 Hard demands attention across five dimensions daily; Misogi demands concentration on one thing.
Decision Framework
Still unsure? Here's a simplified decision tree:
Choose 75 Hard if:
- You want a hard reset across multiple life areas
- You prefer explicit rules over self-directed goals
- You thrive under rigid, binary accountability
- You have 90+ minutes daily for workouts
- You want transformation in 2.5 months
Choose Misogi if:
- You have a specific accomplishment you've dreamed about
- You want a year-defining memory, not just discipline
- You need flexibility due to life demands
- You prefer setting your own challenge
- You want identity transformation tied to a specific pursuit
Consider both sequentially if:
- You want the discipline boost of 75 Hard first
- Then the focused pursuit of a specific Misogi
- You have the time and energy for both (separately)
The Deeper Question
Ultimately, both 75 Hard and Misogi are asking the same question: Are you willing to do something hard to become someone different?
75 Hard answers this with prescribed difficulty. The hard thing is defined for you. Just follow the rules.
Misogi answers this with chosen difficulty. The hard thing is determined by your deepest ambitions. Define your own rules.
Neither approach is superior. They serve different purposes and different personalities.
What matters is that you choose something—and then follow through.
Ready to Define Your Misogi?
If the Misogi approach resonates with you, we've built an app to help you define, track, and complete your year-defining challenge.
- Choose your Misogi from 50+ ideas or define your own
- Track daily progress with simple, sustainable logging
- Watch your year fill up with evidence of pursuit
- Stay accountable without the restart-from-zero pressure
The goal isn't perfection. The goal is completion. The goal is becoming someone who did something hard.
Ready to choose your challenge? Read our guide on how to choose your Misogi to get started.
Key Takeaways
- 75 Hard is a 75-day mental toughness program with five rigid daily requirements and a restart-from-zero failure rule
- Misogi is a year-long pursuit of one meaningful, self-defined challenge
- 75 Hard emphasizes discipline through compliance; Misogi emphasizes transformation through focused pursuit
- Choose 75 Hard for multi-dimensional reset with clear rules; choose Misogi for a specific dream with flexible pursuit
- Both approaches demand commitment to difficulty—they differ in structure, duration, and philosophy
- The approaches can be done sequentially but are difficult to combine simultaneously