3 Reasons Why Older Athletes Need to Cross-Train

All active adults and/or athletes will benefit from cross-training by building longevity in your sport. Many sports, like tennis and golf, are one sided, where you either swing in one direction or dominate with one side. Other sports, like running and bicycling, only move in one plane of motion.

Over time, this creates over use of some muscle groups and under use of others. If you only participate in your activity once, the impact is minimal. But over the course of a lifetime, you will feel the imbalances in your body, and these can lead to pain.

This is where cross-training comes in. The purpose of cross-training is to rebalance the body, and create more symmetrical strength and mobility. Doing this will feel better, and you might even notice improvements in your overall performance. This is why successful elite athletes always cross-train.

What happens when you don’t cross-train

Moving in Fewer Planes of Movement

There are three planes of movement: Sagittal, Coronal, and Horizontal. The Sagittal plane is forward and backward movement, like with running or bicycling. The Coronal plane is side to side movement, like ice skating or rollerblading, and the Horizontal plane is rotational movement, like swinging a bat in softball.

If you only move in the Sagittal plane, there is no lateral or twisting movements. This can strengthen certain muscles, like the quads, hip flexors, and hamstrings, but can leave other muscles, like adductors (inner thighs) and obliques (abs for twisting) underdeveloped. Playing sports that only move through one plane of motion, will affects how your body feels and performs. Life moves you through multiple planes, and ideally your physical activities should reflect that.

An Imbalanced Body

When your body is imbalanced, some muscles work harder than others. The body is a Master Compensator, so if one muscle group is weak, your body will find a way to do the movement, even if it’s not efficient, or ideal. Over time, this can lead to injury, like repetitive strain.

Many lower back pain conditions come from using the body unevenly from an imbalanced base. We already have an imbalanced baseline because we are one-side dominant creatures. When was the last time you ate or brushed your teeth with your non-dominant hand? Have you ever tried to walk up the stairs starting with the other leg first?

When you play sports that dominate with one side, like tennis, golf, or swimming (if you only breathe to one side), it leaves you stronger on one side than the other. When you do a symmetrical movement, like lifting up a heavy box, one side can get injured. Either the stronger side over works and spasms, or the weaker side is forced to work in a way for which it’s unprepared. Bad news either way.

Many people get injured after shoveling snow or raking leaves. Typically you don’t warm up properly before doing this activities. Also, chances are, you only shoveled or raked on one side. As you age, it becomes more important to warm up properly, and do one sided activities to both sides when you can.

Yoga for cross-training

Moving through all planes of movement

Yoga is a practice that moves the body through all planes. Low Lunge and Airplane pose are examples of poses that move in the Sagittal plane. Triangle pose and Goddess pose move in the Coronal plane. Revolved Half Moon and Half Seated Spinal Twist are examples of poses that move in the Horizontal plane.

When you move through all planes of motion, you create the balanced strength and mobility that your sport may lack. This strength and mobility will enhance your performance by giving you more stability and efficiency in your movements.

When you strengthen the muscles that move us in other planes, the body feels more comfortable, not only during the sport, but in daily life. You will have less hamstring strain and tightness if you strengthen your glutes. You will have less lower back pain and better balance and stability if you strengthen your core. Doing intentional rotational movements, like twists, strengthens the obliques and lower back so that you can run, swim, ski, play tennis or golf with more power coming from your center/core.

Yoga creates body awareness for better control

Practicing yoga also cultivates better body awareness so that you can be more intentional with your movements. When you have better control over your body placement and muscular engagement, you can get more power from your movements. You will also move more efficiently which can cause fewer injuries.

Yoga teaches your body the correct way to move. When you employ bigger muscle groups rather than relying on smaller ones, you get the most power from your movements. Using your glutes to push off when you run is more efficient than using your hamstrings. That’s what they are made for. Strengthening your glutes with poses like Locust and Warrior 1 will give you more power in your golf or tennis swing.

Yoga creates a balanced body and mind

Yoga stretches the muscles that are tight and strengthens the muscles that are weak. This functional strength and mobility translates to your body moving better in your sport or activity.

Yoga is a symmetrical practice, where everything you do on one side you do to the other. Any imbalances in the body will even out over time with a regular yoga practice. While your body will never be perfectly symmetrical, yoga brings you toward that center place.

Yoga also teaches you to be present, meaning focusing your mind on the task at hand. This is a useful skill when you play a sport and things get tough. Having a calm mind helps you respond to any situation that comes up with more clarity and wisdom.

The balance of strength and ease applies not only to yoga, but to any physical activity that you do. Tensing your muscles doesn’t make them work better, but intentionally activating them does. Staying relaxed while you activate your muscles gives them the blood flow that they need to function at their peak.

Starting in February

If you are local to Metrowest Massachusetts, I will be teaching a 6 week Yoga for Golf series at the Marlborough Country Club in Marlborough, MA. We’ll meet Sundays, Feb 22-March 29, 2026 from 9-10am ET.

These classes will be tailor made for the needs of golfers. Improve your range of motion and power in your swing. Feel calmer and more focused on the green.

You don’t need to be an MCC member to attend. If you love golf, these classes will improve your game! Click the button below for more details!