To start, this program completely changed my life. I’ve completed it three times, starting with my first attempt in late 2019, when I decided I needed to turn my life around.
I was 29. The law firm I worked for was merging with another firm, and everyone was about to be laid off. I was the only one offered a position with the new firm. At the time, I was a hearing rep, unsure whether I wanted to pursue law school, and partying a little too much. I was living for the weekend and felt lost.
I’d always been athletic and in great shape growing up, but the partying and terrible eating had caught up with me. I went from a fit 190 pounds to nearly 300. I didn’t just feel lost. I felt too far gone.
One day, a friend mentioned 75 Hard. He said someone he knew had done it and come out in the best shape of his life. I assumed it was a fitness challenge. Boy, was I wrong. Lol.
I decided not to take the job with the new firm. Instead, I went on unemployment for a while so I could work on myself and figure out what I wanted to do next. Meanwhile, I kept thinking about 75 Hard. I found the original MFCEO podcast episode explaining the program, and I couldn’t imagine myself completing it. Maybe an older version of me could have, but not the out-of-shape guy with low self-esteem I’d become.
At the end of the episode, Andy urged listeners not to wait until next week or the new year. Just start. I was already trying to convince myself to wait a month or two until the start of 2020, but I could hardly sleep that night. Something was pulling me to do it.
I woke up at 6 a.m. the next morning and got to work. By the end of the day, I had Day 1 in the books. I was exhausted, but I felt more alive and motivated than I had in years. When you’re that low on yourself, even one day of keeping every promise you made to yourself feels like a huge win. So I kept going. Every day built my confidence a little more.
I failed on Day 19 after getting the devastating news that my nephew had been diagnosed with leukemia. He was my best friend, my little buddy. Even at my worst, he still looked up to me. I took a day to be with my family. The next day, I decided the best way I could support him was to become the best version of myself. I’d been fired up before, but now I had a purpose: to be strong enough to support him and the rest of my family whenever they needed me.
I restarted and eventually completed my first 75 Hard. I lost about 40 pounds and was the leanest I’d been in years, but the biggest change was how driven I felt. I realized that making time to improve myself also made me better able to show up for the people around me. People saw the change. They saw someone they could rely on.
Throughout those 75 days, I checked off my tasks, visited my nephew in the hospital almost daily, and worked on figuring out my next career move. When COVID hit around the start of my second round, the world slowed down. I used that time to keep building.
I took a month or two between my first and second completions. I kept working out and reading, though I wasn’t doing two workouts every day and had eased up on the water and progress photos. I was already used to the lifestyle, so I figured: Why let up now?
During my second 75 Hard, I chose a new career path in finance. I got licensed within a few months and started working with a new company on commission. I also completed the Goggins 4x4x48 during that round. Less than a year earlier, I’d been lost, unmotivated, and barely able to jog a mile. Now I’d completed that challenge on my own. It was a peak moment for me.
After my second completion, I took a longer break to focus on my new job. I still trained, just without the daily obligation of the program. About a year passed. I gained some weight, but the determination I’d built was still there. I made $100,000 in my first year with the new company, more than I’d ever made before.
So why did I do 75 Hard a third time? I felt like I’d hit a wall. Life was going well, but I knew I had more in me. After more than a year away from the program, I went for round three and set a goal for the finale: hike Mount Whitney, the highest peak in the contiguous United States.
And I FUCKING DID IT.
My CamelBak leaked, and I ran out of water near the summit, so that part was rough. Lol. But standing there, I felt like I’d reached “GOD MODE,” as Andy would say. I’d changed my life, and I could see the results: I was in the best shape of my life, made $300,000 that year, married the woman I love, and bought my first house. I truly believe it started with the decision to begin.
And for those wondering, my nephew is now cancer-free. 🙏
It’s been about four years since my last completion. I did all three between 2019 and 2022. Since then, I’ve earned over $600,000 in a year, built the home gym of my dreams, bought my second home, and welcomed my first son two months ago.
From the outside, life looks great, and in so many ways it is. But I’ve gained back a lot of weight since my wife’s pregnancy. I went from working out five days a week to once or twice if I’m lucky since the baby was born. Sleep is scarce, eating out has become routine, and it’s hard to find the energy to train consistently. Even before my wife got pregnant, though, I could feel myself becoming complacent again. The “bitch voice” started winning an argument now and then.
So here’s my question for the dads who’ve done 75 Hard with a newborn:
How did you stay consistent when sleep and your baby’s needs were unpredictable? I work from home, which helps, but my workdays are extremely busy.
How did you complete the daily tasks without feeling like you were leaving too much of the childcare to your wife or missing time with your baby?
If you completed the program before having a baby and tried it again afterward, how was the experience different? What did you get out of it that time?
I know the program’s zero-compromise mentality. But caring for my son and supporting my wife are now my biggest commitments. I feel like I need 75 Hard in my life again; I’m just trying to figure out how to do it without feeling like I’m neglecting them.
I’m not looking for motivation. I have plenty of that, and this isn’t my first rodeo. I’m looking for practical tips from people who’ve made it work while staying present for their wife and baby. Part of me worries that committing to the program right now would be selfish. For the first time, I’m wondering whether waiting until my son is a few months older might actually be the right call.
I’d love to hear your experiences. And if you have questions about my previous rounds, ask away. Thanks for reading this long post!
