NC TikTok star is giving Peloton a run for its money
Allie Bennett doesn’t get recognized in public often. It happened once at Brewgaloo in Raleigh, and once by a bartender at Mellow Mushroom, but most people who see her content don’t recognize her face. Despite having more than 350,000 followers on TikTok, most people only ever see her legs walking to the beat of a pop song, her hands occasionally moving to the beat and her smile slipping into the frame from time to time.
Last year, Bennett was walking on a treadmill scrolling through the app when a sound bite — a remixed version of the Pussycat Dolls’ “When I Grow Up” — matched her tempo perfectly. She recorded a video of the coincidence and posted it to the app. A year later, the UNC-Chapel Hill grad has gone from posting individual songs to creating themed playlists and workouts for viewers who want to use their gym’s treadmill as an impromptu runway.
“My whole life, I was always exercising, but it was always in a way that I enjoyed,” says Bennett, who was a dancer growing up. “So I kind of try to emulate that with the workouts that I make.”
The premise is fairly simple: with every song, Bennett ups the pace by .1 mph on the treadmill. By the end, she’s up to a jog. She’s made routines for Taylor Swift songs, the new Harry Styles album, and music videos that used to play on Disney Channel. Her most recent treadmill struts have been set to Pitbull and Lady Gaga.
It may be a simple idea, but Bennett’s execution is what sets it apart. She knows that different people come to her videos with different bodies. After being interviewed by the Today Show, she posted a video about her frustrations seeing them call her routines a way to burn calories, when she’s careful not to use that language herself. She always starts her treadmill routines with a disclaimer that she’s 5’9, and not everyone will be starting out at the same speed.
Back in May, pop singer Lizzo did Bennett’s routine for her songs and noted that she started at a 2.5 mph pace, whereas Bennett started at 3.3.
“Not everyone’s journey is the same but we all can STRUT LIKE A BADDIE HEAUX,” Lizzo wrote in the video caption. After that, Bennett’s account began taking off even faster than before.
Aside from the treadmill strut routines, Bennett says she aims to post two videos a day on the app — while also working full-time for a YouTuber. Aside from the workouts, the videos that have connected with folks are ones where Bennett talks about her sexuality.
“I often call myself a Lululesbian, because I love Lululemon,” Bennett tells me with a laugh. Bennett’s videos with her girlfriend or walkthroughs of her apartment (lots of orange and pink decor, to match the colors of the lesbian pride flag) wouldn’t be uncommon in certain spaces; in wellness culture, it’s a refreshing surprise.
“It’s nice to be that kind of person for people, and just be like, ‘Hey, I’m doing all this and also, I’m gay and it’s not my whole thing, it’s just who I am,’” Bennett says. “I’m not ashamed or afraid of it. It’s just a bonus fact.”
As for becoming a full-time content creator, Bennett is a little unsure about it. Sure, she’s grown up on social media, and made multiple YouTube channels as a teenager in hopes of becoming a vlogger. But she notes that the continuous observation social media influencers undergo can be brutal on their mental health. She’s had people copy her style of video (a common problem on TikTok), and men on Instagram tell her there’s no way she can walk as fast as she does (again, she’s 5’9). The important part, for now, is that it’s creating a positive reaction.
“I think it’s really important to enjoy the movement that you’re doing,” Bennett says.
This story was originally published June 27, 2022 at 7:42 AM.
