Winter Arc ContractWinter Arc vs 75 Hard
Two of the most popular self-improvement challenges, compared honestly: how many rules, how long, what a missed day costs, and which one fits the life you actually have.
Updated
The short answer
75 Hard is a fixed 75-day test: the same daily tasks for everyone, and if you miss one, you start over at day 1. The Winter Arc is a season with your own rules: it runs from October 1 toward the end of December, you pick three to six habits that fit your goals, and a missed day is just a missed day. 75 Hard measures whether you can follow a program exactly. The Winter Arc measures whether your own rules survive real life for a season.
Neither is a registered program with an owner looking over your shoulder. 75 Hard comes from entrepreneur Andy Frisella, who described it on his podcast around 2019; there is no official app or governing body. The Winter Arc grew out of fitness TikTok and YouTube as a seasonal alternative: use the cold months to train, sleep and work quietly, and arrive in January already in motion. For more background, see what the Winter Arc is.
Side by side
| Winter Arc | 75 Hard | |
|---|---|---|
| Length | About 90 days, October 1 to the end of December | 75 days, any start date |
| Rules | You write 3 to 6 of your own | The same fixed tasks for everyone: follow a diet with no alcohol or cheat meals, two 45-minute workouts (one outdoors), a gallon of water, 10 pages of a nonfiction book, a daily progress photo |
| Who sets the rules | You do, around training, food, sleep, screens and work | Nobody official; the list spread from one podcast and is not licensed |
| Miss a day | Mark it honestly and keep going; the rule is never miss twice in a row | Restart from day 1 |
| When it runs | Once a year, in the cold months | Any 75 days you choose |
| Cost | Free; pen, paper and a tracker | Free to follow; third-party apps and journals are optional |
The row that matters most is the fourth one. Every challenge eventually collides with a sick day, a flight, a deadline or a family emergency. Restarting at day 1 after week 9 is the whole point of 75 Hard: it is a mental toughness test, and plenty of people want exactly that. But the same rule is also why most attempts end quietly sometime in week three. The Winter Arc was built around the opposite bet: what destroys a challenge is not one missed day, it is the story you tell about the missed day.
Where 75 Soft fits
75 Soft is the gentler variant that spread on TikTok in 75 Hard's wake: one 45-minute workout a day, around a gallon of water (or half your body weight in ounces), 10 pages of a book, and a healthy way of eating that still allows treats and drinks. There is no restart rule. If you have read this far and thought "75 Hard sounds like too much, too fast," 75 Soft and a typical Winter Arc are roughly the same idea. The difference is mostly the framing: one is a 75-day checklist you adopt, the other is a season you design.
A reasonable Winter Arc for a beginner often looks like a custom 75 Soft: train most days, walk when you do not, drink water instead of soda, keep one focused work block, sleep at a set time. The rule ideas list has full sets like this you can copy into a contract as-is.
Which one should you pick?
- Pick 75 Hard if you already train, read and eat on a schedule, you want an external structure rather than decisions, and the restart rule motivates you instead of scaring you off.
- Pick a Winter Arc if your goals are specific (a lift number, a language, a dissertation, a business), your life has real variability, or you have tried all-or-nothing challenges before and stopped at the first slip.
- Pick 75 Soft, or a gentle arc, if you are coming back from a break, an injury or a rough year, and the honest goal is showing up daily, not maximizing difficulty.
- Start an arc late if you found this in November. Starting on day 40 with fewer rules beats waiting for next October; a 90-day plan still works when you compress it.
One warning that applies to both: the two 45-minute workouts in 75 Hard are a lot if you do not currently train twice a week. Going from zero to twice a day is a common way to end a challenge with sore joints in week two. Whatever you choose, the Winter Arc workout plan shows how a sustainable week is built around a few sessions you can actually repeat.
Doing both at once
Because a Winter Arc is just rules you chose, you can fold the 75 Hard tasks into it: write the five tasks as your contract rules, start in early October, and the same 75 days land inside your arc. Some people then keep the arc's softer clause: if they miss a day, they log it and continue, which means they are doing "75 Hard without the restart" rather than the strict original. That is a fine choice; it is simply not the strict original, and knowing which one you are running keeps the inner game honest.
Writing the rules down is what makes either version real. A one-page contract with your name, your start date and your rules, signed and printed, is the version of this that people finish. You can print a 90-day tracker sheet to go with it.
What's next after the arc
A Winter Arc that starts on October 1 ends on December 29, just as the next round of challenges begins. If you want another fixed challenge after it, our sister site Challenge Contract has free contracts and trackers for:
- 75 Soft: the gentler 75-day checklist, if 75 Hard is too much but you want a set list.
- New Year challenge ideas: short challenges to start January with.
- Dry January: 31 days without alcohol, with a tracker.
FAQ
Is the Winter Arc easier than 75 Hard?
In structure, yes. 75 Hard gives you fixed daily tasks and restarts you at day 1 if you miss one. The Winter Arc has you choose three to six of your own rules, and a missed day is data, not a failure that erases your progress. Whether it feels easier depends on how demanding the rules you write are.
Can you do 75 Hard inside a Winter Arc?
Yes, and many people effectively do. Since the Winter Arc lets you pick the rules, you can copy the 75 Hard tasks into your contract and run them from October through December. The difference is what a missed day means: your arc keeps going, while a strict 75 Hard restarts.
What is 75 Soft?
75 Soft is a gentler variant that spread on TikTok: one 45-minute workout a day, roughly a gallon of water or half your body weight in ounces, 10 pages of a book, and a healthy diet with some flexibility for treats and drinks. There is no restart rule. It is much closer to a typical Winter Arc than to 75 Hard.
Does 75 Hard have official rules?
Not from any official body. The challenge comes from entrepreneur Andy Frisella, who described it on his podcast around 2019. The task list is consistent across sources, but there is no governing organization, no certified app, and no registration. Treat any app or paid program claiming to be the official one with caution.
Which is better for beginners?
The Winter Arc, in most cases. Choosing your own three to five rules lets you start at your current level, and the no-restart design means one bad week does not wipe out a month of work. 75 Hard works best for people who already train, read and eat on a schedule and want a fixed test of consistency.
Do either of them cost money?
No. Both are free to do. 75 Hard has no official program to buy, and a Winter Arc needs nothing more than a written contract and a tracker. Third-party apps and journals exist for both and are optional.
Whichever you choose, write it down
Pick your rules, set your start date, sign a one-page contract and check it every evening. It is free, it takes about two minutes, and December-you will be glad you did.