The SOTO Method, which stands for sixty-on-ten-on, was created by former financier Hilary Hoffman. It’s rooted in efficiency, results, approachability, and predictability. As someone who understands the demands of a corporate career, the workout is designed to maximize fitness results in minimal time.
We caught up with Hilary to learn about her journey and what makes the SOTO Method successful.
Describe your work/workout life balance back when you were at Goldman Sachs.
Back then, creating balance depended on discipline and prioritization. There was no way of predicting which night’s plans would be usurped with work assignments or client dinners. So, I structured my workouts around the days and times I knew I could count on. That meant scheduling three early morning workouts per week and taking advantage of my free time on the weekends.
Friends and colleagues who joined the 5 AM workout classes made staying committed a lot easier — accountability is paramount when motivation is waning. On top of work responsibilities, every week presented a friend’s birthday celebrations, first dates, and family visits. And this is when prioritization was key.
It was always less about balance (because as hard as you try, fitting in professional, social, and personal responsibilities all in 24 hours is challenging), and more about finding harmony between the many areas of life that needed my attention. Work always came first, and that’s okay. I created the foundation for my career. But after work, with the time I had left, dinner with friends was sometimes more important. Other times, making time for my health won.
And to this, I would constantly ask, where does the pendulum need to swing today?
As you navigated this balance, what was it about the workouts you were doing that made you realize you could do it better?
I would leave classes irritated when the teacher demonstrated the exercises for too long. Because the time I had relegated to that workout was all the time I had. And I wanted to make every single second count. Also, many of the workouts I was doing used language that didn’t speak to my reality at all. I needed a class that spoke to the action and power that lies in pushing yourself a little bit more each day. That’s when I explored the notion of pain versus burn, and how strength lies in the ability to honestly discern between the two.
How did you incorporate these realizations into the SOTO method?
SOTO employs intentional transitions through isometric holds to maximize your active working time. If you are watching me demo the next five moves you are doing it as I do it.
When it comes to pain, we must stop, reset, and modify. Instead of muscling through a squat jump that kills our lower back, we decide to decrease the depth of the movement. When we make this choice, we are still progressing forward despite dialing down the intensity.
However, we need to know when it is time to push. When you are 42 seconds into a plank and it starts to feel hard, it’s not because you are doing it wrong, it’s because you are doing it right.
So, I created a class that articulated this.
What was the mental strength you needed to officially become an entrepreneur?
I started SOTO out of my garage in Los Angeles while I was still working in finance. What I lost in my free time I gained in creativity. I got to focus on delivering intentionality, not profits.
The early days of SOTO were soliciting and implementing constructive feedback. This is not always easy to hear, but it was necessary because the program had to resonate and deliver results to prove product/market fit. What I did not expect during this time, was that I was going to come out on the other end having faith in myself, which is the type of mental strength needed to launch your own business.
Essentially, you designed the SOTO Method for others, similar to your situation — pressed for time and committed to their health.
We are all a product of our experiences and if it were not for my nine years in the corporate world I would not have had the awareness or vernacular to create SOTO. I wanted to deliver two things: a space that acknowledges limited time as you strive for excellence in your career, relationships, and well-being; a space that understands reality (like the inability to walk 10,000 steps a day) and delivers real results by focusing on the strength that lives in each second.
SOTO is something you need to try once to feel its intentionality. It is for someone who craves efficiency and results.
SOTO is all about mental fortitude. How can others achieve this in their lives?
There is a strong push-pull between the notion of no time versus enough time. “I do not have time to work out,” or “Whatever time I do have, it’s not enough to see results.”
The truth is, there are days when the first statement is accurate. And, it’s not for lack of discipline or commitment that we don’t get movement in. Rather, it’s when personal and professional responsibilities come first and our schedules are too chaotic. However, it’s the second statement that poses a bigger issue because even when can spare five or 10 minutes, we ask, “Why even bother?”
SOTO eradicates this thought and proves that five minutes is enough by intentionally cuing and exhausting each muscle in the body through an efficient and predictable roadmap.
Describe what gives you empowered movement.
Empowered movement depends on choice. I turned to our final 20-second plank. It’s at the point in class where I am physically drained. But I need to hold on for a second longer without my body giving out. That’s when I access the very thing that allows me to move in the first place — my will.
Holding on for just one more second serves as a powerful physical reminder of my agency. It becomes a tangible feeling that I can carry into my life and rekindle when I need it most — on the cusp of my patience devolving into anger, when I need to access courage over fear. At the crux of it, I never want anyone to feel alone in whatever final 20 seconds they are up against.
The SOTO Method app was officially launched on November 1. Use code “JAMESLANE” to unlock a free trial.