ProofLeague – friends can ask for proof when you start a workout

Hi HN!

My friends and I used to do a rough version of this over text. We’d tell the group when we were starting a workout, and someone could ask for a selfie to keep us honest.

It was simple, slightly ridiculous, and surprisingly effective. It was also clumsy to manage in a group chat, so I built ProofLeague:

https://proofleague.com

The rule is basically the same: create a private league and choose a weekly goal. When someone starts a workout, everyone else has 30 minutes to ask for a selfie. If nobody asks, the workout counts. If someone does, the person takes a fresh selfie in the app before the response deadline.

I’ve found that seeing friends work out is motivating, and seeing their exhausted post-workout selfies is often pretty entertaining.

What started with a few friends has grown into six different leagues for me. I can start one workout across several leagues, and each one gets its own chance to ask for proof. If multiple leagues ask, I can share the same selfie with the leagues that requested it instead of taking six different photos. A league that doesn’t ask doesn’t receive it.

ProofLeague is free. The full browser app is live, and the iPhone and Android builds are linked from the site. Workout selfies stay inside the relevant leagues rather than appearing in a public feed.

I’d especially like feedback on the central mechanic: does knowing that a friend could ask for proof feel motivating, or does it feel annoying or creepy?

So far the response has been positive, but most of that feedback has come from people using it with friends. I’d genuinely like to hear from other people.

Thanks!

Amit