July 15, 2026 · 8 min read
75 Hard Workout Ideas: Indoor and Outdoor Options for Every Day
TL;DR
- 75 Hard requires two 45-minute workouts every day, and one must be outdoors — rain, snow, heat, no exceptions. They must be separate sessions, not one long workout split in half.
- Any real workout counts: walking, lifting, running, yoga, swimming, cycling, sports, rucking. The challenge doesn't grade intensity — it grades whether you showed up twice.
- The sustainable pattern most finishers land on: one "training" workout (lifting, running, a class) plus one "recovery" workout (brisk walk, easy ruck, yoga) — with the walk usually taking the outdoor slot.
- Your plan needs a written weather protocol and a late-night backup workout, because Day 40 at 9:30pm in the rain is where most attempts actually end.
The Workout Rules, Exactly
75 Hard's workout requirement is simple to state and relentless to live: two 45-minute workouts every single day for 75 days, and one of them must be outdoors regardless of weather. A few clarifications that trip up beginners:
- Two separate sessions. A single 90-minute workout doesn't count as both. There should be meaningful time between them — most people do one in the morning and one in the evening.
- Any type of exercise counts. Andy Frisella has been explicit that walking counts. So do yoga, stretching sessions done seriously, sports, swimming, and mobility work. Intensity is your choice; consistency is not.
- Outdoors means outdoors. Garage gyms and covered patios are gray areas people debate — the safest reading is genuinely outside. Set your own line on Day 1 and never renegotiate it mid-challenge.
The Pattern That Survives 75 Days: Hard + Easy
Beginners often assume both daily workouts need to be intense. That plan collapses within two weeks — 150 hard sessions in 75 days is more training volume than most athletes do. The pattern that finishers converge on is one quality session plus one recovery session:
- Workout 1 (train): lifting, running, a fitness class, cycling, swimming — the session that moves you toward your actual fitness goal.
- Workout 2 (recover): a brisk 45-minute walk, easy ruck, gentle bike ride, or yoga. This usually takes the outdoor slot, doubles as stress relief, and leaves you able to train again tomorrow.
The daily walk isn't a loophole — it's the design. Ask anyone who's finished: the walk becomes the part of the day they keep long after Day 75.
Outdoor Workout Ideas
Low intensity (perfect for the second workout)
- Brisk walking — neighborhood loops, trails, or a park
- Rucking — walking with a loaded backpack (start with 10–20 lbs); turns a walk into real work without pounding your joints
- Easy cycling on flat routes
- Walking the golf course, carrying your bag
- Outdoor yoga or mobility flow in the yard or a park
Moderate to high intensity
- Running or run/walk intervals
- Hill repeats or stair sprints at a stadium or park
- Trail hiking with elevation
- Park circuit: pull-ups on a bar, push-ups, walking lunges, bench step-ups — 45 minutes goes fast
- Swimming (open water or outdoor pool)
- Pickup sports — basketball, soccer, tennis, or anything that keeps you moving the full 45 minutes
- Sprint intervals on a field or track
Indoor Workout Ideas
With a gym
- Strength training splits — push/pull/legs or upper/lower keeps 5–6 lifting days a week from frying one muscle group
- Treadmill, rower, bike, or stair climber sessions
- Group classes — spin, HIIT, kickboxing, pilates
- Sauna doesn't count — but a full mobility session does
No equipment at home
- Bodyweight circuits — squats, push-ups, lunges, planks, burpees in timed rounds (40 seconds on / 20 off fills 45 minutes cleanly)
- Follow-along YouTube workouts — HIIT, yoga, dance, boxing
- Jump rope intervals mixed with core work
- Stair repeats if you live in a building with stairwells
- A focused 45-minute yoga or deep-stretching session — a legitimate recovery workout, especially in weeks 3–6 when your body is begging for it
The Bad-Weather Protocol (Write This Down on Day 1)
The outdoor workout in bad weather is 75 Hard's signature test. You don't beat it with toughness in the moment — you beat it with a plan made in advance:
- Rain: waterproof jacket, hat with a brim, and walk anyway. Wet shoes dry; restarts don't.
- Cold and snow: layers (base, insulating, wind shell), gloves, and shorter loops near home so you're never far from warmth. Shoveling snow for 45 minutes is a workout.
- Extreme heat: go at sunrise or after sunset, carry water (it counts toward your gallon), and choose shaded routes.
- Genuinely dangerous conditions (lightning, ice storms): decide your personal rule now — most people allow a covered-but-open-air option like a parking garage for the handful of truly unsafe days.
The pattern in every failed attempt is the same: no pre-decision, so the debate happens at 9pm in the rain — and the couch wins.
A Sample Week That Actually Works
- Monday: upper-body lift (indoor) + evening walk (outdoor)
- Tuesday: outdoor run + evening yoga (indoor)
- Wednesday: lower-body lift (indoor) + ruck walk (outdoor)
- Thursday: outdoor bike ride + core and mobility session (indoor)
- Friday: full-body lift (indoor) + sunset walk (outdoor)
- Saturday: long hike (outdoor) + easy stretching session (indoor)
- Sunday: morning walk (outdoor) + bodyweight circuit or swim (indoor)
Notice the structure: every day has exactly one demanding session, the outdoor slot is usually the easier one, and nothing requires perfect conditions or a two-hour block of free time.
Tracking Two-a-Days Without Losing Your Mind
The practical failure mode isn't laziness — it's realizing at 10pm that you only logged one workout and you're not sure the lunchtime walk hit 45 minutes. This is exactly what we built 75 Forge around: the Daily Task Checklist tracks each workout as its own checkbox, the Time Tracker times every session so 45 minutes is never a guess, and Smart Reminders nudge you in the afternoon if workout two isn't done yet — while there's still daylight to use. The Grid Tracker turns your streak into something you can see, which matters more than you'd think when you're deciding whether Day 41's second workout is really going to happen.
75 Forge is a free download on iOS (iOS 16+), with no ads and no tracking.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does walking count as a workout on 75 Hard?
Yes — a brisk 45-minute walk counts, and Andy Frisella has confirmed it. Most finishers use walking as their recovery workout several days a week, usually in the outdoor slot.
Do the two workouts have to be different?
Not different types — but they must be two separate sessions with real time between them. One 90-minute workout split on paper doesn't count.
What about the outdoor workout in terrible weather?
The rule stands — that's the point. Rain gear, layers, a ruck, stairs in an open-air structure, or shoveling snow. Write your weather protocol on Day 1 so there's nothing to negotiate later.
Can yoga or stretching count?
Yes, if it's a genuine 45-minute session held to the standard you set for yourself. Many people use yoga as their second workout for recovery.
What's the best way to track two workouts a day?
Separate checkboxes per workout plus a timer. 75 Forge tracks both workouts individually, times each session, and reminds you before it's too late in the day to fit the second one in.
The Bottom Line
You will not be short on workout options during 75 Hard — you will be short on decisions made in advance. Pick your hard session, default your outdoor slot to a walk, write your weather protocol, and the 150 workouts stop being 150 choices. They become one choice you made on Day 1, executed 75 times.