There are two types of people I talk to all the time:
Those who say, “I know what to do—I just need to do it.”
And those who say, “I just need someone to tell me what I should be doing.”
Let’s start with the first group.
If you’re someone who says “I know what to do,” I believe you.
On a fundamental level, you probably do know that you need to exercise.
You might even know your way around a gym—how to use the machines, which exercises are most effective, and roughly how much weight to use.
If you’re more advanced, maybe you even understand progressive overloadand how to gradually increase load over time.
But the issue isn’t knowledge. And it might not even be execution ability.
The issue is—you’re not doing it, despite knowing.
Most people chalk this up to a lack of motivation. But I don’t think that’s the real story.
We have a member at our gym who definitely knows what to do. They could likely write their own program that overlaps 80% with what we’d write.
But they’ve shown up to our gym, consistently, for seven years.
Why?
You can’t procrastinate an appointment that’s already scheduled.
Once it’s in your calendar, it happens.
Mindlessness.
You don’t need to think—you just show up and follow the plan. No deciding. No second-guessing. No negotiating with yourself.
At our personal training gym, the rules are simple:
You show up. You do the workout.
The only motivation you need is the push to get in the car and walk through the door.
Sure, you could call this accountability, but I think that word sometimes feels too formal or heavy.
In my opinion, what you really need is a partner—or better yet, a team.
A group of people with similar goals, moving in the same direction, and holding each other up when motivation fades.
Now, to the second group:
Those who say “I just need someone to tell me what to do.”
This is common—especially around nutrition. People say, “Just tell me what to eat and I’ll do it.”
But in reality, most people don’t follow through.
Not because they’re lying, but because the advice they’re given is often too far removed from their current habits.
It feels disruptive, unmanageable, and overwhelming.
And so they give up.
I’ve only seen a few rare cases where someone follows through with robotic precision. They get a plan, flip the switch, and stick to it.
But for most people? That’s not how it goes.
Here’s the truth:
The combination of information and accountability is powerful.
But knowing how much of each someone needs? That takes skill.
That’s where coaching comes in.
Because most people don’t really know if their issue is knowledge… or consistency… or confidence… or something else entirely.
Sometimes, we do need to talk about calories and protein.
Other times, we need to challenge the excuse of missing the gym two weeks in a row.
Information is important.
But behavior change is what actually matters.
So the real question becomes:
If your behavior hasn’t changed, have you learned anything?
— James Pratt