Transitioned from Wall Street analyst at Goldman Sachs to offering rapid fitness classes for public.
Revamped and Rewritten Article:
When New York financial whiz Hilary Hoffman tired of the sit-and-grind office life, she cracked the code on quick, smart workouts that fit snugly into our insane schedules.
Hoffman now guides corporate slackers on their quest for fitness glory. On her slick website, she dishes out her top office-friendly exercises to help you scorch calories without sweat dripping down your brows. Her golden nugget of advice? Keep it tiny and readily achievable.
Back in her Goldman Sachs days, Hoffman had a wake-up call when she discovered sitting for hours on end was a surefire ticket to aging prematurely. She wanted to safeguard her health without risking her ritzy finance career, so she crafted her own workout that syncs perfectly with her hectic lifestyle.
Her secret weapon? The Soto method. This high-octane approach is rooted in an easy-to-remember formula: "sixty on, ten on." In a nutshell, it means you keep an exercise going for a full 60 seconds before switching to a rapid-fire series of ten exercises.
Even with just a handful of minutes on her hands after a draining workday, Hoffman found her Soto method was the perfect dose of fitness.
When she realized countless hardworking folks were crying out for a time-saver workout, she started offering weekend classes in her backyard. Though her first session only drew a puny crowd of three, word spread like wildfire, and soon she was bursting with more attendees than she could possibly handle.
Hoffman parlayed her side hustle into a full-fledged studio in the Big Apple. Whether you're a heavy hitter on the trading floor or just aiming to squeeze more fitness into your daily grind, Hoffman promises her few-and-simple tips will help you squeeze every last drop of sweat out of a short session.
Office Workout: Target the Right Moves to Boost Efficiency
The first step to a kick-butt workout? Focusing on what matters. Hoffman, who dug into this concept during her finance days, knows that you can't tackle everything at once. Prioritize!
"If you've got a demanding job, you better know what's important," Hoffman warns.
For example, if your ultimate goal is to pump iron, focus on building up your resistance training game. Start with a beginner's regimen and gradually challenge your muscles for maximum results.
Five Minutes is Better Than Nothing
Hoffman is all about working smarter, not harder. She recommends grabbing your willpower by the horns—just like you would a heavy weight or a pesky spreadsheet—and making it stronger.
Don't hop on the workout bandwagon only to find yourself falling off a few days later. Start small and stick with it. Five minutes a day will help forge the habit and get your body in tip-top shape.
Hoffman's own workout plan, with her heavy workload, only requires a tiny bit over an hour per week: two 30-minute cardio sessions and two quickie five-minute resistance training sessions—one for the arms and one for the core.
Then, gradually ramp up the intensity. Hoffman's Soto method focuses on incremental sets that build upon one another. She admits she's often amazed at what she can accomplish with five measly minutes before finding the energy to keep going.
Isometric Exercises: Go Hard Without the Pain
Hoffman relies on a clever exercise technique to ramp up the muscle tension and supercharge results. She calls these isometric exercises, where you hold a static position and don't move much, like planks or squats.
By working your muscles steadily without jarring your joints, you can reduce the risk of injury and give your body a gentle challenge—without turning your workout into a grueling nightmare.
Hoffman sneaks in isometric exercises during her classes, giving participants a heads-up for their next move. This way, they maximize their training time without sacrificing preparation.
This sneaky strategy lets you get the most out of every minute, helping you build those muscles faster—without sacrificing reps and sets.
"This way, you're really pushing your muscles to the limit and building newfound strength and endurance," Hoffman says.
Check out her website for more intel on the Soto method, and see if it's the quick-hit solution you've been searching for.
- Hoffman's slick website offers advice on health-and-wellness, featuring her top exercise recommendations that are suited for busy corporate schedules, such as the Soto method, rooted in science.
- In her quest for fitness, Hoffman discovered the benefits of isometric exercises, a health-and-fitness strategy that emphasizes holding static positions to generate muscle tension, reducing the risk of injury, and building strength efficiently, thereby fitting well within the realm of fitness-and-exercise.
