“You’re Not Broken — You Just Outgrew the Way You Trained”
- Archie Cunningham
- Nov 24
- 3 min read
Somewhere in your late thirties or forties, something strange happens.
You’re tying your shoes…or getting out of the car…or rolling out of bed one morning…
And something twinges.
Not a dramatic injury.Not a moment you can point to.Just a whisper:“This wasn’t here yesterday.”
For me, it started with my shoulder.A little pinch overhead.Nothing serious — just annoying enough to pretend it didn’t exist.
Then my hip joined in.Not with pain, just… comment.A click here.A groan there.A reminder that my twenties weren’t coming back.
And because I’m stubborn — and because I’ve coached for years — I did what most adults do:
Ignored it.Trained harder.Added more volume.Convinced myself that intensity was the solution.
Spoiler: it wasn’t.
The Turning Point (Quiet, Not Dramatic)
People assume coaches have their training dialled in.But the truth is, coaches often repeat the same mistakes as everyone else — just with better excuses.
It was a Tuesday morning at CrossFit Chichester.
I was demonstrating a simple warm-up squat, and my hip just said:“No. Absolutely not.”
No pain.Just refusal.
And for the first time, I listened.
That moment hurt in a different way.Not physically — emotionally.Because I realised I wasn’t failing.I wasn’t broken.
I was training for a version of myself that didn’t exist anymore.
I’d outgrown the old formula.
What Most Adults Get Wrong About Training
After coaching thousands of sessions for adults 35+ across the UK, I’ve learned something important:
People don’t get injured because they’re older.They get injured because they keep training like they’re not older.
They treat soreness as a personality trait.They glorify exhaustion.They assume pain equals progress.They use guilt as motivation.
They train like the twenty-year-old version of themselves —and get frustrated when their forty-year-old body revolts.
Nothing’s wrong with them.They’ve simply outgrown the old operating system.
The Shift That Changed Everything
When I finally rebuilt my training, I discovered three principles that changed my body — and mindset — for good.
These became the basis of The CFC Method: Train. Fuel. Belong.
1. Train only three days a week
Not six.Not “whenever I feel guilty.”
Three.Done well.Done consistently.
This alone changed everything.
2. Prioritise strength, not suffering
Strength is the fountain of youth after 35.It supports joints.Improves posture.Builds confidence.Reduces fat.Protects against ageing.
Most adults don’t need more cardio.They need more structure.
3. Belong to something
Because adults rarely fail due to lack of discipline —they fail because they’re doing it alone.
A community makes the hard days easier,and the consistent days inevitable.
You’re Not the Problem — Your Method Is
Here’s what smart training looks like after 35:
3× strength-focused sessions a week
Movements you can recover from
Controlled tempo that fixes positioning
Short conditioning pieces that improve — not punish — you
Warm-ups that actually match your stiffness
No random workouts
Consistency over fireworks
It’s simple.It’s sustainable. And it works every single time.
The Question That Changes Everything
A question I wish I’d asked years earlier:
“What does my body need today so I can feel strong tomorrow?”
That one question flips training from punishment into purpose.
It builds longevity, not ego.It creates identity, not burnout.
And it’s the difference between adults who stay strong into their fifties…and adults who stop trying altogether.
If This Sounds Like You — You’re Not Alone
The niggles.The stiffness. The quiet frustration. The feeling of being “not quite yourself” anymore.
These aren’t signs of decline. They’re signals.Invitations.Opportunities.
Your body isn’t giving up. It’s asking for a better system.
You’re not broken. You’ve just outgrown the way you trained.
A Soft Invitation
If any of this resonates — if you’re tired of restarting, tired of aches, tired of feeling older than you are — reach out.
Not to join a programme.Not to commit to anything.Just to talk.
Sometimes the smallest conversation starts the biggest shift.
And maybe…this is yours.
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