Have things really changed that much? I see all these people trying to put on mass and struggling and I just don't get it. I come from a pear shaped, bad genetic, pasta eating Italian background so I really don't have anything on my side as far as getting into shape or getting HUGE goes.

It's pretty simple. When I said I was not gaining, bodybuilders told me to eat more. I'd plateau. They'd say eat more etc... Without steroids this eventually stops working because you get fat!

Here are some basics that worked for me after my first cycle of Dbol:
Gather up enough Test to do a 24-30 wk cycle. Be sure you have a variety to switch it up with a fade in of different test and a fade out of current test every 8-12 weeks to avoid attenuation downgrade and halted efficacy. Have one other steroid on hand to mix in either deca, winny or something else that will complement the Test. Gradually increase each of these compounds from 200 to 800mg (approx) per week. Keep it simple.

Next is the hardest part of this program:
Diet
Gradually (and brutally) increase your calories to 8000 calories per day (or quadruple what you're doing now to gain weight) minimizing as much fat as possible. I use to feel sick stuffing this food down my throat but the gains were simply retarded and eventually I was hungry before my next meal. Remember, you won't have to always do this it's just a means to an end. Food was not a pleasure for me it was a tool, Here's what I worked up to and ate daily and I prepared my foods every Sunday for the week:
22 cups of pasta eaten with marinara or fat free ranch dressing
1 pound of 80% ground beef
2 stalks of broccoli
11 Chicken breasts
2 yams
2 Met-Rx shakes with 1/2 cup of oats

Training
Train as hard as you can and feel the heavier weight. I always found it bullshit to gradually increase my weights. This was my rule of thumb. If I can do 225 for 10 reps then I can do 315 for 1-2. So I regularly got under 315lbs so my body could get use to feeling the weight. If I can do 315 for 10 then I can do 405 for 1. And if I can do 405 for 10, well next is 495 for 1 but I'd have to add the 2 1/2s on each side so I'd say I could do 500- the little man in my head liked that. Use spotters to lift heavy weights you cannot but try to lower them on your own.

I work out 2 days on 1 day of, 2 days on 1 day of, 2 days on 2 days of then repeat. Make sure you get at least 2 days of rest in a weeks time.
I end every workout with 15 minutes of low to moderate cardio to help curb fat gain. My anaerobic time is 1.5- 2 hours with 2-4 minutes between sets for maximum recovery.

Once this steroid cycle was done I would increase the cardio to 30 minutes after each workout and come in on one of my days off to do 1 hour. This went on for 4 weeks.

During this time of I compiled enough growth hormone (from Russia) for a 4 week cycle planning a 20 week steroid cycle around it. Yes I know. My cycles are long. I used the aforementioned steroid cycle with different products then the first one but same regimen. I introduced the GH 6 weeks into the cycle. In the morning I took 1IU of GH into my fat in my abs or obliques followed with 1 iu of a long acting insulin sticking to the previous diet( I ate at 8,10,12,3,6,&9). Eating your meals on time while taking insulin is ridiculously important or you will go into shakes and sweats and get weak and dizzy and this is very dangerous. Always have protein bars and sugar pills/ packs that diabetics carry on you just in case. I used orange juice as a bridge quite often to get me to my next meal if need be.
Around 4:00pm I would train my balls off at the gym. I found it impossible to over train but I still took my days of rest because the rule still applies: You grow at rest. Following my workout I would take 2 iu of GH with 1 iu of a short acting insulin. Now here is what is different in diet from the last cycle. This meal your about to eat post workout should be dramatically larger then the meal you ate post workout in your last cycle. I don't care- eat a large pizza. You'll find you are hungry in an hour. It's amazing. Critical you consume enough calories after short acting insulin-as critical you eat your next meal on time.

I dropped the insulin after 4 weeks and kept the GH going for another 2 and continued my steroid cycle out to term.

I lived and breathed this stuff. Nothing got in my way: partying, work-NOTHING. I always got my sleep an it was a way of life. It's just simply hard work and dedication and serious drive to be BIG! It's not for everyone but it works.

As far as Monday being "Chest day" and Tuesday "back day" I don't beat to that drum. The days of the week don't dictate my workouts. My rest and chosen pattern dictate the workout. If you can't workout one day because you scheduled something and screwed up your priorities that could have been the best workout of your life. No excuses. Most gyms are 24 hours or find one that is.

I went from 230 to 262 in one year.

Halfhearted efforts equal halfhearted results just like partial reps make partial muscles.