Intensity is everything when it comes to building muslce. If you're not giving it your all and going to failure in at least the majority of your workouts, you are wasting time. You are idle. You're not moving anywhere. To me, intensity is digging deep into your soul and pulling out the motivation to do work, hard work. I also feel the mind-muscle connection and form plays a HUGE part in building muscle. You have to vary your tempos to induce muscular trauma and everyone should know by now that the eccentric portion of a rep is the part that creates soreness. And of course the mind-muscle connection is what allows normal human beings to transcend to a different level in their physique. Do bench-press and you get a big chest. FALSE. You have to think about it and focus on your chest or else, you're shoulders will take the brunt of the load, or your triceps will be doing to much work.

Consistency is what brings results. You can't expect to get these fantastic results over a short period of time. Sure, track your progress with photos and utilize the mirror and scale, but in the short run, huge muscle gains just won't happen. Give yourself time to execute your workout program and consistently eat healthy, and over time, your physique will develop into something better than you may have thought possible. Give yourself 3 strong months, and then get back at it again. But don't workout everyday. That brings me to my next point.

Recovery is an overlooked aspect of health and fitness. You must give your muscles adequate time to recover or else you will be doing more negative than positive. Depending on the volume of your workouts and the intensity, don't workout a muscle more than 3 times per week, and if you're sore, maybe lay off that muscle group. Eat big to get big. Getting muscles doesn't just come from what you do in the gym, you have to live it everyday. Eat right before and after your workout and TIME your foods. Don't starve yourself and expect to bulk and get lean at the same time, that's just not nature's way.