Applying Pressure with involved frame data

So I’ve been using Ken pretty much since the beginning of SF5’s release and I’ve been trying to wrap my head around frame data. I’ve probably watched any and all video’s on youtube that try to explain it, so please don’t send me on that route. And please no comments that sound anywhere near familiar to “What’s there to understand”? Please and thank you. So the question at large I keep asking myself and now I come to the minds of other greats far more experienced than me is this : When it comes to players who use pressure on you all the time and you know that no matter how much you block, they’re going to chip away at you. And when you launch an offensive, they seem to know every button you’re going to press before you press it. So as is, at least when it comes to using Ken as my fighter, I’ve studied as much of his frame data as I can find (which is all of it) to try and decipher what his best moves are and how to combo with those. I have had friends tell me to rely on his medium punch. But once again, without fully understanding frame data, these still look like just numbers to me. Honestly curious what I’m doing wrong. That said, I get the impression that at times when I’m facing off against opponents that know how to bring the pressure, is it really dependant upon the player more than the fighter they are using than visa versa. Sorry for the length of this post and I really would appreciate any and all advice I could garner!