Heptathlete Chari Hawkins is not only an active influencer with 950,000 Instagram followers and 680,000 TikTok followers; she also just qualified for her first Olympic Games as part of Team USA. The heptathlon, a two-day, combined event contest, requires her to have a wide range of skills–hurdles, high jump, shot put, 200m, long jump, javelin and 800m. Although running events are not her only focus, she has plenty of advice to share about improving your technique, speed, strength and recovery.
Hawkins doesn’t skip over the little things. The Rexburg, Idaho native’s content deals with the nitty gritty aspects of your biomechanics–right down to your foot strike. It’s rare to get all three of the what, how and why aspects behind a technique, but Hawkins’ high-quality videos and explanations break things down to make seemingly complex concepts easy to understand.
@_charihawkinsOverstriding ❌ Let’s talk about it! . I’ve always said that there are two main ways to enjoy running: consistency and health. The more you run, the better you get, and the healthier you are, the more you can run! 💪☺️ . But inefficient running can slow you down and make your work harder. When running is hard ALL the time, it’s likely we won’t want to choose to come back over and over. 🫣 . And when our mechanics are off, we are more likely to sustain injuries… ones that leave us with no choice to rest, even when we want to be running. 🙁 . Overstriding is a big culprit with both of these- at least they were for me! Once I fixed my overstriding problem, my speed increased, and my injuries decreased. 🎉Honestly the only times I get shin splints now is when I over extend my stride in my penultimate steps of high jump and long jump! . Try it out, and see if it works for you!♬ original sound – Chari
You know how a lot of influencers post paid promotions that their followers don’t care about or relate to? This Olympian actually works with brands and products that relate to her sport and enhance her performance, meaning these ads may actually be useful to you, too. She usually hides her sponsorships within an informative and fun video–so you don’t even realize it’s an advertisement.
@_charihawkins #Gatorade_Partner Who finishes their workout and goes home ASAP with no cool down!? 🫣😅 @Gatorade ♬ original sound – Chari
Hawkins’ content isn’t only targeted toward beginners; even experienced athletes can take her advice to further improve their performance. Her videos will teach you how to improve your drills, how to hold your hands while running and which plyometrics exercises you should focus on–all things that are often overlooked, even at the elite level. A bonus is that she shares fun facts about the sport of track and field and takes you along on her journey as a heptathlete.
The success she has seen as a professional athlete provides reassurance that she knows what she’s talking about. If you want to be educated and inspired as a runner, definitely give Hawkins a follow.
