The key to improvement...

To improve, you need to rest. Now, there are probably a lot of lazy people out there that will take this the wrong way. If you are one of them , please don't. Actually, let me rephrase that first sentence: To improve, you need to work your ass off, rest and repeat. There, that's better.

There are way too many people out there that are so Type-A that they can't take a day off, can't go easy for a couple days and don't listen to their bodies, when it's telling them to pull it back (I should know, I used to be one of them and I ended up with a stress fracture). Your body doesn't reap the benefits of your workouts during the workout, it needs time after to recover and super-compensate (which is basically raising your baseline levels up a little bit and higher than they were before said workout). That is how people get stronger, how people get faster, how people improve. 

For most people, you are going to need a good 24 hours to recover from a normal workout, whether it's lifting weights, playing pick-up ball or some conditioning work (it should be noted that workouts like these can also help speed up recovery from harder workouts). There are a few exceptions, though. Following a high-intensity workout, which would involve either maximal, fully recovered sprints or plyometrics or lifting maximal (+90% of 1 rep max) weights, most people will need roughly 48 hours to fully recover. These workouts are much more intensive systemically, and your muscles and nervous system need the time to regroup.

Intensive work.

 

Now this doesn't mean you should be sitting on your ass between workouts. There are a ton of things that you can be doing to help facilitate recovery in the meantime. They can include:

• Stretching (whether it's static, dynamic, PNF, etc. just do something)
• Contrast showers
• Ice baths (my personal favorite)
• Hot tubs
• Sauna
• Foam rolling
• Tempo conditioning
• Playing a pick-up sport that you really enjoy (but don't kill yourself)
• Getting the proper nutrition in you starting immediately after your workout and staying consistent with it until your next workout

My idea of a fun afternoon.

Those are just a few of the literally hundreds of things you can do to help recovery.  If you follow those guidelines between workouts and remember to deload  for 3-7 days every 4-6 weeks, I guarantee your results will continue to come in steadily.