How often should I work out?

Training each lift in the all-out effort that comes at the end of a cycle would very quickly result in overtraining for most normalgainers if it were attempted three times a week. Training each movement once a week while dividing all the exercises into three separate workouts can be productive, but better still would be to divide all movements into two separate workouts with several days for recovery in-between. For the confirmed hardgainer, or at the end of a heavy Deadlift or Squat cycle, working an exercise twice in three weeks may be required for full recovery.

2 How many sets and reps are required?

The answer to this question can vary from person to person and certainly changes within the span of a cycle. First, if you know that you benefit from high reps, low reps, or medium reps, use what works, but cut your total workload per session to no more than 10 total work (heavy) sets if you use low to edium reps. Do 8 or fewer work sets if you use high reps. All of this also depends on how heavy (intense) the work is. The more intense the workout, the fewer sets that can be done productively.

*When in doubt do less, not more*

There are certain exercises that seem to work best when performed with high reps; the Squat and the Deadlift fall in this category with hardgainers getting excellent results with 15 to 20 reps. Training these two "giant" movements with high reps allows one safely to correct problems with form early in a cycle that might occur, without risking life and limb under a super-heavy bar. However, others prefer low-rep work, not only because it can be easier to do, but because it can be darn effective in its own right.

There is no rule on the exact number of sets and reps to use. But try for low volume (10-30 work sets A WEEK) over a few (4-8 exercises).