We did it that way because I noticed, especially as I got older, that the data can really start to affect your thoughts. Sometimes you might have a really good night’s sleep but the WHOOP says differently, it says you didn’t recover enough. So then you’ll already be preconditioned, like, Oh, okay maybe I really am tired.
I feel like it really depends on how you look at it and what your mindset is. It could help some players, but I just let the people who were in charge of looking after my body in that way to handle the data and then adjust things accordingly based on how they see me and the information that they had.
Q. Now that players are able to access so much more data and can track their performance 24/7, it seems like it’s tougher for players and coaches to find that balance.
PUIG: It’s a fine line. If you’re really responsible with the information that you receive you can kind of just treat it as it is, which is a number…
If you’re the type of player who gets a little bit too obsessed with the numbers, hand it off to your team, like I did, and have them kind of make the adjustments. Let someone else take care of it, then you just kind of go along for the ride.
Because the numbers are very good for certain things, but there are also metrics that don’t really help you.
Q. What metrics do you feel were most useful for you as a player?
PUIG: Knowing your fatigue levels… I thought WHOOP was really great with this knowing when you’re getting sick. And showing you how the body reacts differently, whether you drink or not, whether you hydrated enough, whether you had a heavy meal or not—all those things can play a part into your recovery.
