Important things I've learned along the way:
A> Don't injure yourself. Always use proper form, and don't use so much weight so that you cannot control it, do not use momentum to swing the weight up, but DO push yourself to the max, and use as much weight as you can handle *SAFELY* and *PROPERLY* for 8 reps (except on my 3s and 8s bench program), when you hit 8, move the weight up a minimum amount next week.
B> Don't overtrain. 2-3 weight training sessions per week is all that's needed, and it's as much as my body can recover from. I've tried more, but my gains were slow as I overtrained within weeks. I've tried less (like once per week), and gains weren't as good.
C> Get your're diet nailed down. It's really quite easy once you know what you're doing. My general target when on carbs is 45/35/20, 45% Carbs, 35% Protein, 20% Fat. For the carbs, I lean towards low-glycemic UNPROCESSED foods, I.E. Whole wheat bread with all the fiber and minerals, whole-grain pasta/protein enriched pasta, high-fiber fruits and veggies. For the protein, I try to cut down on saturated fats and trans-fatty acids, I'll eat a steak every week or two, but usually it's chicken, fish (tuna is the only fish I like), non-fat milk, etc. For the fat portion, I try to get as much of my fat as possible from EFAs (Essential Fatty Acids). I *HIGHLY* *HIGHLY* recommend reading the book 'Fats that Heal Fats that Kill' by Udo Erasmus ($20 or so from www.netrition.com). Read it, then read it again. It's EXCELLENT information on why some fats are very bad for you, and why some fats (Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids) are absolutely ESSENTIAL to you're diet. I try to keep artificial substances such as Nutrasweet, and other sweeteners/fat substitutes to an absolute minimum. Natural is best IMHO most of the time. BTW: Be sure to include ONE CHEAT DAY per week, you must maintain sanity, and it helps to keep you're body from going into 'starvation mode'.
D> Vitamin/Mineral supplementation. I can't stress how important this is. At an absolute minimum, for every living human on the planet, I recommend 1g Vit C, 400iu Vit E, and a good multi-vitamin. My vitamin plan is as follows: Morning: 1 Multi Vit, 2g Vit C, 400iu Vit E, B-50 Complex (B-Vitamin complex), 200mcg Chromium. Evening: 30mg Zinc, 1-2g Cod Liver Oil Caps. BTW: I *NEVER* get sick when I'm taking my vits, and when I stay away from smokers. It's been about 10 years since I've gotten a real cold, and I used to get them CONSTANTLY when living at home under the second hand smoke there.
E> Drink water. Lots. 1 Gallon per day is good for most people.
F> Supplements. I get this one question more than any other. Which supplements should I use? Which creatine should I take? What time should I take it? How about those Andros? My suggestion, SKIP ALL SUPPLEMENTS (except maybe protein powder). Bodybuilding magazines and supplement manufacturers have one purpose, to sell you something and take your money. Yes, some of them have a slight effect, but it's pretty rare. It's far, far better to focus all your energy on proper training, nutrition and recovery. You can make INCREDIBLE gains without supplements (I do!), but you cannot make gains without proper training and nutrition. Simple enough?
It's easy to gain muscle while losing fat if you're over 20% bodyfat, it's tougher once you get lower. But either way, by far, the fastest way to lose fat is to KETODIET! For training method, I use mostly HIT, which has been very effective for me. For cardio, I recommend 2-3 days per week, in addition to you're weight training 2-3 days per week, leaving 1-2 days per week of total rest. Those numbers might VERY well need to be adjusted for your recovery ability.
As far as foods are concerned, you can use all normal foods, or protein powders and meal replacement powders. I like to make my own 'Super Shake', which I take once in the morning, once after (lifting) workouts, and once at night, which consists of: 12oz NonFat Milk. 1/2 tablespoon Udo's Choice (EFAs/Oil), 2 tablespoons fresh ground flaxseeds (excellent EFAs, fiber, etc), 5g Met-RX Micronized creatine, and 2 scoops of Optimum Nutrition Protein Powder ($26/5lb Jug!). That gives me an *EXCELLENT* balance of the *BEST* Protein available, the *BEST* Essential Fatty Acids available, and an appropriate amount of carbs to go with it and balance it out. I don't recommend any supplements except Vitamins, Minerals, EFAs, Creatine and possibly Glutamine, I think the rest are a waste of money for the most part, at least for 90% of us. If I'm ketodieting, I replace the milk with water and a little heavy cream.