How Bretman Rock is Cultivating Strength His Own Way

Day 75 was supposed to be ordinary. But on the day of his Allure Philippines cover shoot, Bretman Rock broke a quiet streak. He drank caffeine for the first time in 75 days. No ceremony, no confession. Just a sip—iced, milky, sweet. A few weeks later, he was doing taste tests of matcha lattés around Metro Manila. Not for content. Not for a challenge. Just to find which one made him feel most alive. It was a quiet coda to 75 Hard, the controversial online fitness challenge he’d spent two and a half months conquering. Now that it’s over, Bretman isn’t sure what he misses more: the almost militant structure or the thrill of finally choosing ease.

An era of extreme fitness

In the age of “self-optimization,” wellness has become both a lifestyle and a performance. Online, discipline is currency—measured in cold plunges, required reading, calorie counts, two daily workouts, and 5:00 AM alarms. The 75 Hard Challenge, a viral regimen of physical and mental endurance, is one of the most extreme expressions of that culture.

Since its 2019 inception, it has amassed nearly one million videos on TikTok. The challenge’s tone is militant, its ethos unmistakably masculine. It is, in many ways, the distilled essence of the “grindset” internet: rigorous, binary, and unforgiving. Which makes it all the more curious that Bretman Rock—an internet icon whose career has been defined by joy, fluidity, and resistance to categorization—would choose to take it on.

Why he took it on

“I don’t think about it too much, honestly,” he shares with Allure Philippines. “Like I said, I’m a naturally disciplined person. And when I have a set goal, I go for it. I don’t think goals are a gendered thing—men aren’t the only ones who have health goals. Women, queers, period, we all should. So I didn’t think much about it. I was just like—75 Hard. Three, two, one, go.”

“I consider myself a very well-disciplined person. I’ve been doing sports my whole life. And my dad—he was like, ‘I didn’t name you after Bret Hart and The Rock [just for you to not do sports].’”

But discipline, as Bretman embodies it, isn’t the same as denial. It isn’t a punishment, or a performative grind for algorithmic applause. It’s something quieter. Less heroic. More human.

Is it for everyone?

To better understand the psychological effects of such high-intensity challenges, Allure Philippines sought the expert advice of Justine Joseph—a licensed sports psychologist, full-time therapist, and a former competitive athlete.

“People assume you have to go 100 percent or nothing,” Joseph says. “But the problem with going 100 percent for extended periods of time is that there will be a crash—or a forced crash—even if you don’t want to. A part of you will get compromised.”

For her, the solution lies not in total surrender, but in sustainable effort. “Consistency is good, yes,” she clarifies, “but consistency doesn’t have to look like going all out every single day.”

“Would I recommend it? I’m at an in-between, but leaning towards no,” Joseph says. “Even pro athletes need rest.” She explains that pushing the body—physically, mentally, emotionally—without pause can lead to burnout or injury. For her, rest is an essential part of a good program.

“You’re basically forcing your body to go, go, go without slowing down, and that can increase the risk for complications,” she adds. Over time, this pattern can morph into a toxic cycle of overexertion and collapse: “Full productivity, then no productivity.”

And that crash, Joseph warns, can start to affect how people perceive their own worth.

Finding out what works for you

While Bretman’s experience with 75 Hard was transformative for him, the challenge isn’t for everyone and Bretman echoes this.

“[I] think you really have to make it how you want it,” he advises. “I know people are doing a ‘75 Soft’ (a flexible alternative) as well. And it doesn’t even really have to be 75. Start with a three-week thing. I know it takes three weeks to build a habit. So, even if you want to start it as a three-week hard, start there. And then see where you’re at in three weeks, and then add the 75 days after. I think 75 Hard shouldn’t be taken too [literally]. If you’re killing yourself at the end of the day, it’s not going to be worth it, honestly.”

Joseph points out that while many people manage to complete challenges like 75 Hard, they often still struggle afterward. Because they’ve built consistency by operating at 100 percent, it becomes difficult to find a rhythm once the challenge ends.

The habits they formed weren’t gradual or sustainable—they were all-consuming. As a result, going from zero to a hundred is just as destabilizing as going from a hundred back to zero.

Without a plan for what comes after—the daily routines, the workouts, the mental reset—it’s easy to feel lost. And realistically, she adds, maintaining such an intense regimen is only feasible for those without major time, family, or financial commitments.

“Two workouts a day, meal prep, the energy it all takes—it’s not accessible if you’re commuting for hours or taking care of a household,” she says.

Josh Tolentino

Personalization over perfection

We asked Bretman what habits stayed with him and what didn’t. “In 75 Hard, you have to work out every day,” he says. “I’ve definitely leaned back on that. I do five days a week now, one active rest day, and one full rest day. I’m not pushing myself every single day, and honestly, I don’t think that’s healthy. Your muscles need time to recover. You have to give yourself grace.”

What’s ended, he explains, is the relentless pace, the pressure to keep going just because the streak was intact. “With 75 Hard, I’d be like, okay, I have to do this today because I’m already 60 days in—and I can’t give up now. But now? I listen to my body.”

That mindset shift, according to Joseph, is key. “The best workout program is one that you’re able to do,” she says. “If 75 Hard is too intense, extend it. Make it every other day. Spread the workouts out.”

As for what’s stayed: “Honestly, I’ve kept up with eating. I make sure I eat now.” In a wellness culture obsessed with glow-ups, gains, and ‘before-and-after’ slideshows, Bretman’s growth was subtler. He didn’t do it to look different. He did it to feel different.

“Don’t go straight from barely working out into working out so much,” Joseph shares. “Your body’s going to struggle and suffer—you’re going to be exhausted.” Even fitness influencers, she points out, take rest days. “Your body inherently knows if something is too much or too little. Listen to it.”

The wellness discipline

The takeaway isn’t about hitting a number. It’s about understanding the cost of chasing perfection. After 75 days, Bretman isn’t claiming some final, polished version of himself. If anything, the challenge stripped away the expectation that transformation must be visible, or even dramatic. The real shift was quieter. A discipline stitched into daily life, a new understanding of what it means to choose difficulty not as punishment, but as practice.

Wellness, after all, shouldn’t be a carousel of internet trends. It’s not about surviving one viral challenge just to hop to the next. The smartest approach? Seek guidance from professionals, listen to your body, and ask better questions. Because real wellness isn’t extreme—it’s intentional.