Training - Stating the Facts as I see Them
Volume training works. Training daily works. Training once every 4 days works. High intensity works. ANY reasonable training protocol will work if you let it and you work hard at progression. The variables include the following: supplementation and nutrition, sleep, daily rest (sedentary jobs vs active jobs), stress and training preference. I currently employ medium intensity, low rep (5's) and train 3 days a week.

Progress or regress. If you're not recording your workouts, start now. There's no way I can remember if I had 130 or 132.5kg on the squat bar for my reps of 5 from one week to the next... let alone if I only got say 4 reps on that last set. You can't either. Progress can be measured by either increased poundages in strict form, increased time under load, or increased reps with the same weight, etc. If you are not getting stronger, you are not getting bigger. Speaking of strict form, keep it that way. Don't bounce, yank, or swing the weight

Everyone who can should squat, either with a free bar or Smith Machine. If you want to add volume to your training, here's where I suggest it - not necessarily to increase leg mass, but to boost metabolism. I currently do 5 sets of 5, training once a week. I follow this with 3 sets of 12 on the Leg Press. I have never met a big man who does not squat... period. Lee Haney (multiple Mr Olympia winner) once told me that if he had to do one exercise for the rest of his life, he'd squat, "cos it would keep me big". 

Concentrate on the basics, whether you're male or female. I see this all the time, trainers putting guys on squats and the women on dumbbell lunges for infinite reps. There's not a good reason in the world for this unless there's injuries involved. Women and men should basically train the same; basic movements with some isolation movements for variation, intensely with increasing resistance, and with 6-15 reps per set. Basics are squats, benches, rows, deadlift, chins etc. Ladies, "you won't tone your buns" because...

There's no such thing as a toned muscle. Muscle either grows or atrophies (shrinks). "Tone" is simply a developed muscle with little fat covering it. The "degree" of development is the key: if you don't want to look like a bodybuilder, simply stop training for progression at whatever point you feel comfortable. Unfortunately, you'll have to keep training exactly the same as the rest of us - just not as progressively. 

Cardio training. In the past you may have noticed that I have not been a big fan of cardio training. This changed when I prepared for my last contest. Before my diet I was 21% bodyfat. For me this was too heavy, and I am determined not to get it that high again. So I did what I have never done before - kept doing cardio after the comp. I now run 5-7km 3 times a week on my non training days. The result, I have stabilized at 13% bodyfat, my training poundages are still as high as when I was 21%, and I look better nekkid. Cardio is not the boogey man we all think, but is beneficial to building muscle, increasing metabolism, and keeping you lean.

Supplements. This can be a broad topic with all the new fangled stuff being released everyday, so I will cover only the basics. Protein, protein. protein, protein. Enough said! Glutamine. There's tons of research on this amazing nutrient. L-Glutamine increases recovery via a number of metabolic processes: immune system repair, gut repair/digestion enhancement, decreasing catabolic hormones, and increasing insulin sensitivity. Clinical research was done using 15-30 grams a day - far more than most people using Glutamine have tried. So, if you've tried it in the past with no noticeable results, try increasing the dosage and spread it through out the day. I use 15-20g a day. Doing this has allowed me to train every day (alternating weights and cardio) without ever feeling overtrained and hardly ever falling sick. Other essential supps are Multi Vitamins, Calcium and Anti Oxidants. I will also use creatine in a three months on/two months off cycle. 

That's it. They're my thoughts and whether you try them or not is no skin off my nose, but if your results are lacking, why not give them a go.

Moderate Your Vices
You are not going to make great gains if you drink a six pack every night. In fact regular alcohol consumption can basically reverse any gains you make through good training and nutrition. Alcohol damages liver function, and if you know anything about biochemistry and physiology, your liver is the metabolic hub of your body, producing and regulating enzymes, processing nutrients, metabolizing hormones, etc. It's ok to have an occasional drink, but if you are serious about your training – Moderation! In fact it has been shown that after a heavy night on the booze, it can take up to 5 days before your body is back to normal function....not good for someone who's trying to build muscle.
Just a short word on 2 other relevant subjects – smoking and recreational drugs. Smoking is definitely bad metabolically, playing havoc with your enzyme systems as well as damaging cardiovascular capacity, and the wide range of recreational drugs available range from mildly damaging to your metabolism (which will slow gains) to downright deadly (they will kill you!) My recommendation is don't go near them.

Don't Skip Meals 
When you skip meals, your body goes into starvation mode, your blood sugar drops, you get very hungry, and are very likely to binge eat, which is one of the main causes of increased body fat. Having a regular supply of quality food throughout the day means you won't go hungry and your metabolism will remain stable.