by Michael Plank
I won’t bury the lead here… My least-favorite sentence is this one: “I know what I need to do, I’m just not doing it.”
And here’s why: because 95 times out of 100, I hear that sentence in a conversation that goes like this…
Them: “I really need to get in shape.”
Me: “What tools or resources do you feel like you need to get there?”
Them: “I need accountability, guidance, support… I need someone to check on me on a regular basis… I need someone to help me do what I said I was going to do.”
Me: “Awesome. We can do all of that. We literally have someone who’s job it is to check in on you and make sure you’re coming to all your training sessions. We will make a plan together in your initial conversation – when you’re most excited – for how to handle any feelings that you want to quit that might come up down the line. We’ll make a plan for your training and hold you to it. We’ll teach you everything you need to know and check in regularly to see how it’s going. We’ll adjust the plan as needed to keep you on track and keep you making progress that you’re happy with.”
Them: “That sounds perfect!”
Me: “Great! Let’s get started with some coaching.”
And here’s where the conversation goes one of two ways. They might sign up for coaching… maybe personal training or nutrition, maybe group fitness or habit coaching, maybe a combination. That’s Option 1.
Or they’ll go with Option 2. Option 2 has never, in my experience, been a flat-out “No.” But Option 2 is that they don’t start coaching. What they do instead is say…
Them: “I need to think about it for a couple of days.”
Me: “I totally understand that. What can I clear up for you about the plan?”
Them: “Well it’s not that it’s not clear, it’s just that I’m not sure coaching is what I need. I mean, I know what I need to do, I’m just not doing it.“
And 95 times out of 100, that person will not start coaching. Because they think that “coaching” means someone who can tell them what to do. And they already know what to do. So they don’t need coaching.
But that’s not what coaching is. Or maybe it would be more accurate to say, that’s only 5-10% of what coaching is.
The reason people need coaching is not because of the first half of that sentence, it’s because of the second.
All of the people who get the most dramatic results – the biggest fat loss, the biggest muscle gain, the biggest health improvements, the most head-turning transformations – all of them do a lot of coaching. None of them are surprised to learn that they should eat more protein and vegetables. None of them are shocked to discover that consistent strength training is beneficial. None of them are flabbergasted to find out that good sleep is helpful. That’s not why they pay for coaching and that’s not why they get results.
They pay for coaching, and they get results, because coaching helps them do the thing they need to do to make those results happen.
A coach keeps you on track. A coach helps you show up on the days when you’re not feeling it. A coach checks on you when things get tough. A coach understands that there are emotional and logistical realities that you have to contend with on the journey and helps you navigate that. A coach adjusts your plan as needed to suit your goals and your lifestyle and all the puzzle pieces that have to fit to get you results.
The real power of coaching is not that they know something that you don’t… it’s that they help you take action. And at the end of the day, action beats knowledge every single time.
I don’t care what plan you find or what results it promises, it only works if you do it. And if you’re doing the plan and getting results that you’re happy with, then hey, maybe you don’t need coaching (though I’d bet you’d still benefit from it).
But if you know what you need to do, you’re “just not doing it,” then do me a favor? Don’t go read more articles. Don’t watch more YouTube videos. Don’t spend more time on TikTok. Hire yourself a coach. And see what happens.