Thought this would be a good thread for newbs and vets. I don't claim to be an expert or anything like that, but there's a few general rules you should follow if you want to get big.
1) Diet is key! I see too many guys that do not grow at all. They come to the gym, lift for an hour or so and repeat. You would think they would grow in a year or so even with the shittiest training but they still stay the same. I'll give them the fact that they are persistant.
2) Leave your ego at the door. This is mostly geared toward the newbies who like to pile the plates on the bench and get their spotter to do most of the work. While the buddy screams 'it is all you', lol. You also see the big fat 'powerlifter' who thinks he's huge cheating on every set and screaming like a walrus during mating season to attract attention to themselves.
3) Train legs, yeah you can get jacked without training legs, but it just looks too funny having chicken legs.
That's all I can think of for now, feel free to add some more.