Strength Training Adjustment for sports

im a 36 year old male considering going back playing sport with a local team. It involves a lot of cardio and, even though its not a very high level, im a bit off the required fitness level needed. i attempted to run 5km last week for the first time in almost a year and it was a real struggle. i feel like ive only now recovered!

For the past year i stuck to strength training alone pretty much. im 5 ft 8 and weigh about 92kg. my deadlift is now at 190kg for 5 reps. ive been stuck on 190kg for a bit as i workout at home and need more plates to increase the weight so i reckon i could deadlift more than for 5 reps. have ordered them but are taking a while to be delivered. my squats is now at 142.5kg, bench is 105kg and shoulder press is at 55kg.

the problem i have now is that to play my sport im gonna have to lose some weight and get fitter. I understand that some strength loss is inevitable with weight loss but i want to try and limit it as much as possible . i have been strength training 3 days per week, alternating squat and deadlift but i would not be able to do this while training for my sport as well. We would train twice per week and there are usually games at the weekend. would squatting and deadlifting once per week be sufficient? i had still been making progress with one working set of 5 on the deadlift up to now but i find even one set at 190kg quite tiring. i dont find squats as tiring and i dont feel they take as much out of me. i would aim to keep bench pressing twice per week. is there a percentage of my max i could stick to in order to limit strength loss?

would appreciate any advice on this?

Why did you think running that much after not having done so for so long was going to be easy?

It might be helpful to know what the sport is.

i didnt think it would be easy but didnt expect it to be as hard on my body. i actually didnt run 5km non stop. had to stop halfway.

i didnt mention the sport as i doubt anyone is familiar with it. its an irish sport called hurling. im from Ireland. its basically a field sport that has some similarities to hockey but quicker and much more physical. you need to be pretty athletic to play at a high level. i wouldnt be playing anywhere near that level at my age though but i need to build up some fitness to actually be able to get through the training and get on the field. Obviously the training we do will help that but i just want to maintain as much of my strength gains as possible while i shed some pounds but just a bit unsure how to programme weight lifting sessions while not tiring myself out for the hurling training sessions and games. would appreciate any advice on that.

Here's Coach Rippetoe's classic article on strength and sport:

The Two-Factor Model of Sports Performance | Mark Rippetoe

Here's some recent thinking from Coach Delgadillo (he's a martial arts competitor):

How to Do Conditioning: It Depends | Nick Delgadillo

Hurling is awesome, but it's not too different from soccer or lacrosse in terms of the amount of running. Bottom line for you is to get on the field, you can't have the coach being unsatisfied with your "fitness". Once you have that, conditioning is less of a priority--you focus on the hurling training sessions and games, which will have a real conditioning effect, and try to build strength. Recovery is critical.

More from Coach Rippetoe--his themes are pretty consistent when it comes to strength and conditioning:

Conditioning, Strength, and The Two Factor Model of Sports Performance | Mark Rippetoe

Strength and Conditioning - Conditioning and Strength | Mark Rippetoe

The State of Strength & Conditioning Coaching | Mark Rippetoe

This one was also very interesting:

https://startingstrength.com/article/the_map

Good luck!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by J. Killmond

Here's Coach Rippetoe's classic article on strength and sport:

The Two-Factor Model of Sports Performance | Mark Rippetoe

Here's some recent thinking from Coach Delgadillo (he's a martial arts competitor):

How to Do Conditioning: It Depends | Nick Delgadillo

Hurling is awesome, but it's not too different from soccer or lacrosse in terms of the amount of running. Bottom line for you is to get on the field, you can't have the coach being unsatisfied with your "fitness". Once you have that, conditioning is less of a priority--you focus on the hurling training sessions and games, which will have a real conditioning effect, and try to build strength. Recovery is critical.

More from Coach Rippetoe--his themes are pretty consistent when it comes to strength and conditioning:

Conditioning, Strength, and The Two Factor Model of Sports Performance | Mark Rippetoe

Strength and Conditioning - Conditioning and Strength | Mark Rippetoe

The State of Strength & Conditioning Coaching | Mark Rippetoe

This one was also very interesting:

https://startingstrength.com/article/the_map

Good luck!

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Thanks for this . i understand the point being made here. i keep up my strength training and let hurling practice look after my conditioning.

the thing is though, hurling practice will involve quite a bit of cardio and usually quite tiring. the games are also.

my dilemma is really more about how i programme my strength training so as not to tire myself out for the hurling practice sessions but also to ensure minimal strength loss as im surely going to have to cut back on what im doing now in terms of strength training.

at the moment, i alternate between squat and deadlift e.g. monday deadlift, tuesday squat and friday deadlift. my deadlift is 190kg for 5 reps and my squat is at 142.5kg for 3 sets of 5. these are probably the two most taxing exercises im doing right now and if i were to deadlift or squat 3 days a week at those weights im not sure ill be much use in practice. would squatting and deadlifting once per week be enough to maintain strength? if i go by my one rep max (not sure how accurate these calculators are) in conjunction with my weight my deadlift isnt far off advanced and my squat it well into intermediate. is there a percentage of what im lifting now that i could stick to to keep things balanced or is this very dependent on the individual. im 36 now also which i also need to factor in. tbh, im actually more worried about the practice tiring me out for squatting and deadlifting than vice versa.