I'm interested in gaining some muscle... as I'm in university, I have free access to all the training facilities I want. I'm going to be doing length swimming a lot, as well as some kung fu every day (i'm far away from my school.... so i'm training alone, stretching, etc.)

But I want to maximize my muscle gain. I don't want to be huge but i want bigger arms and a 6-pack. Can anyone give me some advice as to how best gain muscle without getting too fat/big?

My most important question is how long should i work my arms/abs for, and how often? i read that 5-7 days is neccesary for the muscles to heal and grow, but a lot of people say every other day is fine. Can anyone clean this up for me?

Any tips on getting a 6-pack also useful. Im almost there, i think i just need to lose some fat (2-5 lbs) and gain a bit more muscle.

Lastly, i'm taking some protein supplements... When should I be drinking these whey shakes? Before/during/after?