Choosing the right wearable tech for your athletes and which is worth the investment, Whoop or Oura(?) with Sian Allen

This week’s guest on the Pacey Performance Podcast is Research Manager at Lululemon, Sian Allen. Before starting her current position, Sian received her PhD in Statistical Modelling of Sports Performance and worked with both the New Zealand and British swimming teams. She has also played football in the Women’s Premier League, before starting her academic career studying Sports Science and gaining a master’s in Physiology. She is now at Lululemon - an athletic apparel company that designs, distributes, and retails athletic apparel and accessories.

Sian is here to talk about wearable tech; she recently published a popular article comparing Whoop and Oura devices on Sportsmith and has Tweeted extensively on the subject. She tells us about the origins of that article, and the overall benefits of using wearable tech as a coach. What’s more, Sian also tells us the major differences between the rival brands, the data and metrics they both produce, and the one she would choose herself.

Going further into how wearable tech can influence and benefit coaches and athletes, Sian discusses the leading metrics that can flag up potential injuries and illness for coaches, and how wearable tech can help track the menstrual cycle in female athletes. There’s also insight into what coaches need to be careful of when using tech, and the common trade-off between accuracy and ease of use. Sian wraps up by discussing the future of wearable tech, and how practitioners can stay ahead of the game. For all this and more, hit play now.

This week’s topics:

• The benefits of comparing wearable tech
• The story behind Sian’s ‘Whoop vs. Oura’ popular article
• The main differences between Whoop and Oura – and what Sian would choose
• The data they both produce during exercise
• How menstrual cycle tracking can be used when working with female athletes
• Leading metrics that flag up injuries and illnesses
• How careful coaches need to be when using wearables to guide athletes
• The trade-off between accuracy and ease of use
• Sian’s process for finding a wearable that has the metrics that matter
• The future of wearable tech
• How practitioners can stay ahead of the game