Coachability: The Unspoken Skill Separating Growth From Stagnation

There’s something most people won’t tell you —

It’s not always the program, the diet, or the genetics holding you back.

It’s your ego.

Being coachable is a skill. And it’s rare.

Ask most guys if they’re open to learning, and they’ll say yes.

But the moment feedback cuts too close to pride, they shut down.

Even if the advice came from someone stronger, leaner, more seasoned —

They brush it off, because it didn’t come wrapped in the comfort their ego needed.

You ever ask a millionaire how he got rich, and he gives you a simple answer like:

“I showed up every day and did the boring things consistently.”

But you don’t believe him, because it’s not flashy enough?

That’s ego.

Same thing in the gym.

A young guy asks how to grow —

I tell him: slow your reps, stop swinging the weight, train close to failure, show up with intent…

And a week later, he’s back to ego lifting with sloppy form, maxing out on curls like it’s a PR lift.

Not because he’s lazy —Because he hasn’t learned to recognize the voice in his head that says,

“I already know what I’m doing.”

Truth is, wisdom doesn’t always show up dressed in complication.

It shows up when your pride is quiet enough to listen.

Older guys aren’t immune either.

I’ve seen lifters my age complain about chronic pain and stalled progress —

Then scoff at advice even when my physique is the living proof of what works.

My body is my business card —

And yet, even then, ego can block insight like a locked door with no key.

If you’ve ever been given advice and immediately rejected it —

Pause and ask yourself:

“Why is this uncomfortable to hear?”

“What am I defending?”

Sometimes it’s not the advice that’s the problem —It’s the part of you that doesn’t want to admit you’ve been doing it wrong.

Being coachable means staying malleable.

Being willing to listen — not just to be polite — but to absorb, process, and adapt.

Take what works. Leave what doesn’t.

But don’t pretend to listen while letting your ego run interference.

Because here’s the truth:

If the goal is growth, you can’t build on a foundation of arrogance.

The moment you stop learning… you’ve already started regressing.