University of North Carolina Athletics
Strength and Conditioning Coach Jason Beaulieu guides Kennady Tucker and the Tar Heels through off-season workouts.
Photo by: Dana Gentry
Q and A with Strength & Conditioning Coach Jason Beaulieu
May 24, 2020 | Women's Basketball
Throughout the year, the UNC women's basketball program relies heavily on the "team behind the team," professionals who support the Tar Heels' success. Those roles are just as crucial during the offseason, when student-athletes work hard to make gains for the coming campaign.
The 2019-20 season was Jason Beaulieu's 10th coordinating all strength and conditioning training for UNC women's basketball and his 23rd overall as a coach. A four-year letterwinner in lacrosse at the University of Delaware, Beaulieu supervises UNC's year-round strength and conditioning program, preparing the Tar Heels to compete safely and perform at their peak.
Beaulieu chatted recently with GoHeels.com:
GoHeels: When it comes to the off-season program, do you have a focus for the whole team or is it more individually-based? And how much does it vary from year to year?
Jason Beaulieu: Our off-season focus is really on developing the individual player. I look at each athlete as having their own unique biomechanical, biochemical and bioelectrical characteristics. When implementing programs to increase performance I think it is necessary to keep those things in mind to develop the healthiest athletes and also to maximize each athlete's potential.
GH: Do you find the in-season or off-season to be more rewarding professionally? How about more challenging?
JB: I enjoy the off-season the most because I get to spend the most time with athletes and really get to know the athlete from not only the performance side but also as a person. That allows me to know how to speak to them when I instruct on certain skills or lifts in the weight room and also gives me insight on how to push them to maximize their potential. We typically don't have to worry about traveling, playing games, full class schedules, load management with practice, lack of rest and recovery, etc. I believe in-season to be the hardest part of my job just because there are so many variables that I cannot control.
The off-season is also the time when you see the athlete make their biggest gains as it pertains to performance. We also spend a lot of time during this part of season bonding as a team through tough workout and team-organized activities such as bowling or going to a pool. It is of great concern for strength and conditioning and also sports medicine that we are missing this valuable training time due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
GH: What's your approach in working with incoming freshmen? Are there some particular areas in which incoming players often need to catch up before they can work full-speed with the rest of the team?
JB: The incoming freshmen are always the biggest challenge this time of year because they are coming from high school and I have never seen them lift. In some causes they come in with little or no background in strength and conditioning. This is becoming rarer, but most come in with very little training experience except on-court skill development. This year will present an even greater challenge because we may not get as much on-campus training.
"I have already started to plan on having multiple groups because I am in weekly communication with all our players during this time and some have access to strength training equipment, various surfaces to run on and distance available, just to list a couple of variables. With players having different variables to deal with right now, we will have multiple levels of fitness upon return to campus. Coaches and staff have been stressing the importance to our players that they must do their part at this time and invest now so we will have the competitive advantage next season."
The 2019-20 season was Jason Beaulieu's 10th coordinating all strength and conditioning training for UNC women's basketball and his 23rd overall as a coach. A four-year letterwinner in lacrosse at the University of Delaware, Beaulieu supervises UNC's year-round strength and conditioning program, preparing the Tar Heels to compete safely and perform at their peak.
Beaulieu chatted recently with GoHeels.com:
GoHeels: When it comes to the off-season program, do you have a focus for the whole team or is it more individually-based? And how much does it vary from year to year?
Jason Beaulieu: Our off-season focus is really on developing the individual player. I look at each athlete as having their own unique biomechanical, biochemical and bioelectrical characteristics. When implementing programs to increase performance I think it is necessary to keep those things in mind to develop the healthiest athletes and also to maximize each athlete's potential.
GH: Do you find the in-season or off-season to be more rewarding professionally? How about more challenging?
JB: I enjoy the off-season the most because I get to spend the most time with athletes and really get to know the athlete from not only the performance side but also as a person. That allows me to know how to speak to them when I instruct on certain skills or lifts in the weight room and also gives me insight on how to push them to maximize their potential. We typically don't have to worry about traveling, playing games, full class schedules, load management with practice, lack of rest and recovery, etc. I believe in-season to be the hardest part of my job just because there are so many variables that I cannot control.
The off-season is also the time when you see the athlete make their biggest gains as it pertains to performance. We also spend a lot of time during this part of season bonding as a team through tough workout and team-organized activities such as bowling or going to a pool. It is of great concern for strength and conditioning and also sports medicine that we are missing this valuable training time due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
GH: What's your approach in working with incoming freshmen? Are there some particular areas in which incoming players often need to catch up before they can work full-speed with the rest of the team?
JB: The incoming freshmen are always the biggest challenge this time of year because they are coming from high school and I have never seen them lift. In some causes they come in with little or no background in strength and conditioning. This is becoming rarer, but most come in with very little training experience except on-court skill development. This year will present an even greater challenge because we may not get as much on-campus training.
"I have already started to plan on having multiple groups because I am in weekly communication with all our players during this time and some have access to strength training equipment, various surfaces to run on and distance available, just to list a couple of variables. With players having different variables to deal with right now, we will have multiple levels of fitness upon return to campus. Coaches and staff have been stressing the importance to our players that they must do their part at this time and invest now so we will have the competitive advantage next season."
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