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<My recovery is quite slow, always has been. Given that, what workout frequency, ie what bodyparts/when, would you recommend to prevent overtraining and keep gains a comin. Thank you for everything you do, Aaron G.>

I'll ramble as I answer your question hoping to cover associated matters for you and others, including me, at the same time (sneaky way of excusing my irrelevance and ignorance).

I know from earlier email that you upped your protein and the body fat has dropped and the muscle is coming on. This is the muscle builder's dream come true. I also know when I head in the direction of leaning up and dropping the body fat, shedding pounds in the process, my strength and ability to pump and recover drop enough to make me grumpy (I'm so cool, no one notices). If you're in any way dieting -- limiting your food intake -- to lose fat while trying to gain muscle, you might be up against a recovery conflict, sort of a catch 22.

Age and, it seems to me, the level of muscular achievement are factors to be considered. The three years in my mid-twenties permitted me to train six days a week, each muscle group three times a week (4 exs.x 5 sets - 12,10, 8, 6, 6 reps approx.). I was in the prime years for building and repairing, given my structure and system, and I pressed on. I don't recommend this for you or anyone, twice a week per muscle group being my personal ideal for my training through 2000. The past year I've wisely reduced my workouts to 4 per week based on feel, and hit everything twice a week regulating the intensity (always hard, sometimes harder) according to recovery. Age and percentage of muscle limits my recovery, the later a condition I'm not yet clear on. In fact, I'm working on the whole aging process from one moment to the next. I intend to keep ya'll posted as I learn anything new.

My method of operation to discover the mysteries of the aging of the muscle builder (a dumb subject I have not undertaken by choice) will follow a mad course of taking things (workouts, sets, reps, weight, time) to the extreme to the best of my ability and work my way back to safe ground. I refuse counseling. I'm aware of overtraining, a mighty popular subject, yet I seldom see anyone who trains intensely enough. Of course, I don't visit the training centers of the hi-tech muscleheads.

Aaron, you still there? I want to answer your question clearly but I don't know what to refer to: age, rest, job and family and playtime demands, eating habits, current training and training history, physical stats.

For you, J.A.G., I like (here's the square peg, round hole suggestion) 4 to 5 days a week, 2 times per muscle group and 3 exercises per group with mixed reps (12,10, 8, 6-ish). Use your internal muscle barometer to gauge when to withdraw a workout day from a week and what workout -- perhaps rotate them. I like pushing and pulling combinations (super setting...duh) and never separate bis and tris. Hard early in the week and pull back to fastidious focus and pace toward week's end. Chest and back -- legs -- shoulders and arms -- day off -- legs -- a creative mix of upper body, day off and repeat.

In this flight I hope someone can find an answer to... something. ..dave