Step challenge with friends or family: how to set one up that lasts

Why challenges die after a week

With a leaderboard, people walk more on average. A Stanford analysis of data from the Argus app (Shameli et al., 2017) looked at more than 2,400 seven-day competitions with at least three participants each. During a competition, the average participant took 23% more steps than outside one.

But the average hides an uneven picture. The winners added the most, while those in last place were, on average, less active than before. And when people with very different baseline activity levels were matched up, the competition lost its spark and the overall effect dropped sharply. This is an analysis of app data, not an experiment, so it shows links, not causes.

The second problem: people drop out. In a 100-day Australian study of the Active Team app (Edney et al., 2019), which people joined in groups of 3–8 friends, 32% of people in the gamified version and 39% in the basic version stopped opening the app for 30 days or more (the difference in how quickly people dropped out wasn’t statistically significant). If you’re planning a challenge, plan for dropouts from the start.

1. A bar even the slowest person can clear

Ten thousand steps for everyone is the classic mistake. A meta-analysis of 15 cohorts (Paluch et al., 2022) points out right in its introduction that there’s little evidence for that number. How the benefit of steps differs with age is covered in How many steps a day do you really need.

Besides, a challenge isn’t about the health optimum; it’s about making sure everyone can take part. You have two options:

• A personal goal. Everyone sets a goal based on their own average. In the BE FIT trial (Patel et al., 2017), participants chose an increase of 33, 40 or 50%, or any goal at least 1,000 steps above their average.
• One low bar for everyone. A single threshold for the whole group, but one that even the least active member can clear on a bad day. Anyone who wants to do more can; it just doesn’t count toward the challenge.

2. Play together, not against each other

BE FIT shows what teamwork can look like. The trial included 200 adults from 94 families taking part in the long-running US Framingham Heart Study, with an average age of 55.4. Families in the game group got 70 shared points every Monday. Each day, one member was drawn at random to represent the family, and if that person had missed their goal the day before, the family lost 10 points. Families weren’t compared with each other; they never even found out how the others were doing. The control group chose goals the same way and also got daily feedback, just without the game.

Over the 12 weeks of the game, participants from the game families met their goal on 53% of days, compared with 32% in the control group. Their steps rose by 1,661 a day above their baseline average, versus 636 in the control group. After the game ended, activity dropped, but over the next 12 weeks it still stayed above control.

If you still want a leaderboard, set it up wisely:

1. Points for completed days, not for total steps. Some apps, Pacer for example, can do this. That way, everyone who clears their own bar has a chance.
2. Groups with similar fitness. Don’t put a marathoner and a friend recovering from knee surgery on the same leaderboard.
3. Draw the winner. From everyone who hit their goal, not just the fastest.

3. A clear end and another round

A challenge with no end fades out. A challenge with an end at least finishes with dignity. In BE FIT, the game lasted 12 weeks and the points reset every Monday. The authors were using what’s known as the fresh start effect: at the start of a week, people are more willing to act on their resolutions.

In practice: agree on a round of a few weeks with a weekly restart. Before it ends, ask who’s in for the next round and adjust the rules based on what didn’t work. In BE FIT, activity dropped after the game ended. Another round is the easiest way to prevent that.

4. How many people

In a competition, more people only help those at the top. In the Argus data, the winner added roughly 420 steps for each additional competitor, while the activity of the person in last place fell as the group got bigger.

For teamwork, a small group of people who know and see each other works better. In our view, three to five is a sensible size: enough people to carry each other, few enough that nobody can hide. Split a whole company into smaller teams.

5. Days off and illness

Without days off, a challenge falls apart with the first flu. In BE FIT, every participant had 5 “lifeline” days over 12 weeks for illness or days when exercise just wasn’t possible. The authors included them precisely to allow for some leniency and so people could ask their family for help.

Settle up front how many days off everyone gets and whether they need to be announced ahead of time. Above all, people should be able to take one without explaining themselves.

6. When someone drops out

Someone always drops out. What matters is that one person doesn’t bring down the whole group.

• A rule up front. The group keeps going even if one person drops out. Nobody is “the one who ruined it.”
• Ask, don’t blame. “Coming with us tomorrow?” works better than mockery in the group chat.
• Keep the door open. Anyone who comes back jumps in from the next day. How to get back on track after a gap is covered in Missed a day?.

How to set it up in Tada!

A group in Tada! has three to five people and one shared streak. It keeps going when everyone makes the day, or when no more than one person is missing. So each day, one person may take a day off — either in advance, or the streak uses it automatically when only one person is missing in the evening. If two people are missing, the streak breaks.

The basic bar is low: 6,000 steps or 20 minutes of workout. The others only see your nickname, your color and whether you’re done for today — no steps and no leaderboard. If you want exact numbers and a winner, go for an app with leaderboards, such as StepUp or Pacer.

You start a group on the Together tab, send the others a code that’s valid for a week, and the streak starts the day after there are at least three of you. If only two people remain in the group, the streak carries on as a pair. The details are in the help article Groups.

A challenge that survives the flu In Tada!, three to five of you keep one streak going, and one of you can take a day off each day. Nobody sees how much anyone walks, only whether they’re done. Download for iPhone

Checklist before you start

1. A bar the least active member can reach.
2. Points for completed days, or a shared goal instead of total steps.
3. A clear round length and a weekly restart.
4. Three to five people; split a bigger group into teams.
5. A rule for days off, illness and vacations.
6. A rule for dropouts — no shame, and a way back in.

Choosing an app for just the two of you? The criteria are in Step counter app for couples and friends.

Frequently asked questions

How long should a step challenge last?

The Argus competitions that were analyzed lasted a week, the BE FIT game 12 weeks and Active Team 100 days. For a group of friends, a shorter round with the option to continue is usually easier. More important than the length is a clear end and agreeing on the next round.

Is a competition or a team challenge better?

In the Argus data, the average was higher during competitions, but the people at the top gained the most. Those at the bottom of the leaderboard walked less than before. If the group’s fitness levels vary, a shared goal is the safer bet.

How many steps should we set as the goal?

A number the least active member can hit even on a bad day. Anyone who needs more can have a personal goal. Ten thousand isn’t mandatory.

Sources

1. Shameli A, Althoff T, Saberi A, Leskovec J (2017). How Gamification Affects Physical Activity: Large-scale Analysis of Walking Challenges in a Mobile Application. Proceedings of the International World Wide Web Conference. link
2. Edney S, Ryan JC, Olds T, et al. (2019). User Engagement and Attrition in an App-Based Physical Activity Intervention: Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of Medical Internet Research. link
3. Paluch AE, Bajpai S, Bassett DR, et al. (2022). Daily steps and all-cause mortality: a meta-analysis of 15 international cohorts. The Lancet Public Health. link
4. Patel MS, Benjamin EJ, Volpp KG, et al. (2017). Effect of a Game-Based Intervention Designed to Enhance Social Incentives to Increase Physical Activity Among Families: The BE FIT Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Internal Medicine. link
5. Pacer Health (2026). Pacer Step Challenges for Friends, Family & Teams. mypacer.com. link
6. StepUp (2026). StepUp: Free Step Challenge App — FAQ. thestepupapp.com. link
7. Tada! (2026). Groups. Tada! Help. link
8. Tada! (2026). What is an active day. Tada! Help. link