75 Hard Prep Week and Shopping List for Day 1

Starting 75 Hard without a prep week is how little logistics problems show up on Day 3.

You run out of food that fits your diet. Your outdoor workout happens after dark and you have no reflective gear. You remember the progress photo after you have already changed for bed. That is usually a setup problem, not a motivation problem.

75 Hard, created by Andy Frisella, is described on the official 75 Hard page as a mental toughness program, not a fitness challenge. The rules are intentionally strict: follow a diet with no cheat meals or alcohol, complete two 45-minute workouts with one outdoors, drink a gallon of water, read 10 pages, and take a progress photo every day. Miss a task and the program starts over at Day 1.

Prep week does not count toward the 75 days. It gives you seven days to make Day 1 boring in a useful way: food chosen, rules written, workouts scheduled, water container ready, book picked, and tracker set up.

What to Decide Before Day 1

Before you buy anything, write down the rules you will actually follow. Vague rules create loopholes. Clear pass-or-fail rules make the day easier to judge.

Start with the official structure. Andy Frisella’s 75 Hard rules allow you to choose the diet, but the diet must be followed with no cheat meals and no alcohol. The two workouts are 45 minutes each, and one must be outdoors. The water target is one gallon. Reading is 10 pages. The daily progress photo is required.

After that, define the parts the official rules leave up to you.

For diet, avoid “eat clean” as your only rule. It sounds clear until you are standing in a restaurant, staring at the menu. Use rules you can check:

Protein at each meal.
No alcohol.
No desserts, candy, or sweet drinks.
No unplanned restaurant meals.
Planned snacks only.
Calories, macros, or meal plan followed exactly, if that is the diet you choose.

Your rules should fit your health, schedule, and goals. A diet does not need to be extreme to be strict. If you have a medical condition, a history of disordered eating, or a major activity change planned, ask a qualified clinician before starting. The official 75 Hard information page also tells participants to consult a physician or health professional before beginning.

Decide whether you are doing official 75 Hard, 75 Soft, or a custom 75-day challenge. A strict restart-style challenge needs tighter daily routines. A 75 Soft or custom plan may include recovery days, different water targets, or a more flexible food rule.

Your 7-Day Prep Week Plan

Use the week before Day 1 to remove decisions. You are setting up the parts you do not want to debate later.

Day -7: choose the start date

Pick a start date you can defend. Look at work deadlines, travel, holidays, and family commitments. Starting during a chaotic week is not tougher. Usually, it is just poor planning.

If you still want to start before a busy stretch, write the plan for those hard days now. Where will the outdoor workout happen? What food will you bring? When will you read?

Day -6: write your diet rules

Put the diet rules in one note, and make each rule pass or fail.

Bad: “Eat healthier.”

Better: “No alcohol, no fried food, no desserts, protein at each meal, and only planned snacks.”

If you use calories, macros, or a named diet, write the target clearly.

Day -5: choose workouts and outdoor backups

List indoor and outdoor workout options. The outdoor workout can be walking, rucking, jogging, cycling, bodyweight training, or mobility work in a safe outdoor space.

The CDC adult physical activity guidance recommends 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week, or 75 minutes of vigorous activity, plus muscle-strengthening activity at least two days per week. 75 Hard asks for 90 minutes of exercise every day, so beginners should scale intensity carefully. The rule is time-based. Your body still has to recover.

Day -4: pick your book, photo setup, water container, and tracker

Choose the first nonfiction book before Day 1. Put a bookmark at page 1. Decide when reading happens.

Pick one progress-photo spot with consistent light, camera angle, and time of day.

Choose your water container. A full gallon jug works for some people. Others do better with a smaller bottle refilled several times.

Set up your tracking method now, whether it is paper, notes, a spreadsheet, or a dedicated app.

Day -3: build the meal plan and shopping list

Plan the first seven days around repeatable meals. You do not need 21 recipes. You need enough compliant food to avoid panic decisions.

The USDA MyPlate meal-planning guidance recommends checking what you have, planning meals, and making a grocery list before shopping. That advice fits 75 Hard because you choose the diet rule. Build from food groups that fit your plan instead of copying another person’s restrictive menu.

Day -2: shop and batch prep

Shop from the list. Buy foods you will actually eat, then prep enough for the first half of the week. Cook proteins, chop vegetables, portion snacks, and pack a travel backup if you commute.

Day -1: run the schedule once

Do a dry run. Wake up at the planned time. Fill the water bottle. Set out workout clothes. Put the book where you will read. Take a test progress photo.

The point is to find friction before the challenge starts.

75 Hard Prep Week Shopping List

Use this list as a starting point, not a prescribed diet. Choose foods that fit your own rules, budget, culture, and health needs.

Food basics

Protein:

Chicken breast or thighs.
Turkey, lean beef, tofu, eggs, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, tuna, salmon, beans, or lentils.
Protein powder, if it fits your diet rules.

Vegetables:

Salad greens, broccoli, peppers, carrots, cucumbers, zucchini, green beans, and frozen vegetable blends.

Fruit:

Berries, apples, bananas, oranges, grapes, melon, or frozen fruit.

Whole grains and starches, if they fit your plan:

Rice, potatoes, sweet potatoes, oats, quinoa, whole-grain wraps, whole-grain bread, or beans.

Fats:

Avocado, olive oil, nuts, seeds, nut butter, olives, or cheese if allowed by your diet.

Compliant snacks:

Greek yogurt, boiled eggs, fruit, cut vegetables, hummus, jerky, tuna packets, nuts, or protein bars that fit your rules.

Flavor:

Salt, pepper, garlic powder, herbs, salsa, mustard, vinegar, hot sauce, and sauces that match your diet.

Hydration supplies

One gallon jug or a bottle with clear ounce markings.
Smaller refillable bottle for work, errands, or travel.
Electrolytes, only if they fit your rules and are appropriate for you.
A bottle brush, because you will use the bottle constantly.

The CDC notes that drinking water helps prevent dehydration and that needs increase with physical activity and hot climates. The National Academies dietary reference intakes list adequate total water intake at about 3.7 liters per day for adult men and 2.7 liters per day for adult women, including water from beverages and food. The 75 Hard gallon rule is about 3.8 liters of plain water.

Workout and outdoor gear

Supportive shoes.
Extra socks.
Weather-appropriate layers.
Rain jacket or cold-weather layer, depending on season.
Reflective vest, clip light, or headlamp for low light.
Sunscreen and hat.
Towel, resistance band, yoga mat, or basic home workout gear.

For outdoor sessions, the American Academy of Dermatology recommends broad-spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher. Reapply about every two hours and after swimming or sweating.

Reading, photos, and tracking

First nonfiction book.
Bookmark.
Notebook or journal, if you like writing plans by hand.
Phone tripod or stable shelf for progress photos.
App, checklist, or printed tracker.
Backup charger if you take photos or log tasks late.

You can browse free web-based challenge tools in the tools library, but for phone-based daily logging, Reset75 can track workouts, outdoor workouts, diet checkboxes, water counters, reading, progress photos, measurements, and strict or forgiving challenge modes.

Meal-prep supplies

Food containers in a few sizes.
Labels or masking tape.
Cooler bag and ice packs.
Sheet pans, storage bags, and measuring cups.
Food thermometer for meat, poultry, seafood, and egg dishes.

The FDA safe food handling guidance says a food thermometer is the only reliable way to know those foods have reached a safe internal temperature.

Meal Prep, Hydration, and Safety Checks

The easiest 75 Hard meal plan is one you can repeat when work runs late.

Think in components:

Two or three proteins.
Two cooked vegetables and one raw vegetable option.
One or two starches, if your diet includes them.
Two snacks that require no cooking.
Two sauces or seasonings that fit your rules.

For example, grilled chicken, rice, roasted broccoli, salad greens, boiled eggs, apples, salsa, and mustard can become bowls, salads, wraps, or snack plates without changing the rules.

Do not prep a full seven days of refrigerated meals unless you know they will stay safe. The USDA FSIS says leftovers can be kept in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days or frozen for 3 to 4 months. A practical rhythm: cook on Day -2, eat through Day 3, then cook or thaw another batch.

Hydration needs planning too. If you wait until dinner to start chasing a gallon, the rest of the night can get miserable. Split the target:

25 percent by mid-morning.
50 percent by early afternoon.
75 percent by late afternoon.
Finished early enough that sleep is not wrecked.

That schedule is a planning tool, not medical advice. Water needs vary by body size, sweat rate, climate, activity, pregnancy or lactation status, and medical conditions. Ask a clinician if a fixed gallon target is questionable for you.

Training volume deserves the same caution. Two workouts every day can be a big jump if your current baseline is low. Keep the early sessions manageable. Walking outdoors and doing low-impact strength, mobility, cycling, or easy cardio indoors may fit the rules while lowering injury risk.

Track the First Week Before It Starts

The last prep step is to make every daily task visible.

Create one checklist for Day 1:

Diet followed.
No alcohol.
No cheat meals.
Workout 1, 45 minutes.
Outdoor workout, 45 minutes.
Water, one gallon.
Read 10 pages.
Progress photo.

Then add the details that keep small misses from happening:

Workout times.
Outdoor route or location.
Meal plan for the day.
Water milestones.
Reading time.
Photo time and location.

This is usually where the plan proves itself or breaks. If two workouts do not fit on Tuesday, fix Tuesday now. If your first book is not in the house, buy it now. If you do not know what counts as a cheat meal, define it now.

Habit research is useful here because routines take time and vary by person. Lally et al.’s habit formation study is often cited around a 66-day average to automaticity, while a recent systematic review indexed on PubMed found wide variation across studies. A 75-day challenge is long enough for routines to become familiar, but only if the daily system survives real life.

For a strict challenge, your tracker should make misses obvious. For 75 Soft or a custom program, it should support flexibility without letting the week disappear. A good tracker gives each task the right input: checkbox for diet, counter for water, duration for workouts, photo for progress, and notes or measurements if those matter to you. If you want app reminders and phone-based logging, you can download Reset75 and set up a 75 Tough, 75 Soft, or custom challenge before Day 1.

Prep week is not about making the challenge easy. It is about making the rules clear enough that your effort goes into doing the work, not renegotiating the plan.

Frequently Asked Questions

What should I buy before starting 75 Hard?

Buy simple foods that fit your chosen diet, a reliable water bottle or jug, workout clothes for indoor and outdoor sessions, sunscreen, a nonfiction book, meal-prep containers, and a tracking system for daily tasks.

Does prep week count as part of 75 Hard?

No. Prep week is setup time before Day 1. The official challenge still starts when you begin completing every required daily task for 75 consecutive days.

What groceries should I get for the first week of 75 Hard?

Choose groceries around your diet rules: lean proteins, vegetables, fruit, whole grains or starches if they fit your plan, healthy fats, compliant snacks, and seasonings that make repeat meals easier to eat.

How should I meal prep for 75 Hard without getting bored?

Prep flexible meal components instead of seven identical meals. Cook a few proteins, chop vegetables, portion starches, and rotate sauces or seasonings that fit your rules.

What gear do I need for the outdoor workout rule?

You need weather-appropriate shoes and clothing, reflective gear or a headlamp for low light, sunscreen, a hat or warm layer depending on season, and a safe route or backup outdoor option.

How do I pace one gallon of water during the day?

Start early and divide the gallon into smaller targets, such as morning, midday, afternoon, and evening. Water needs vary by body size, activity, climate, pregnancy or lactation status, and medical conditions, so ask a clinician if you are unsure.

Can beginners do 75 Hard safely?

Some beginners can complete it with careful planning and low-intensity workouts, but the daily exercise volume is much higher than general public-health guidance. Talk with a qualified clinician before starting if you are new to exercise, have a medical condition, or are making a major activity change.

How can I track 75 Hard, 75 Soft, or a custom 75-day challenge?

Use a tracker that handles checkboxes, water counters, workout duration, reading pages, progress photos, reminders, and strict or forgiving challenge modes, so every daily task has one clear place to live.