I think the question was - what you need "more".
Great diet AND loads of sleep are mandatory. Diet means not just eating the right foods, but eating them at the right time (before and after workouts) and in the right amounts. Not eating before workouts will rob you of strength and resistance. Not eating after workouts will not provide your body with the right environment for muscle recovery and growth.
Not enough sleep will hurt progress. Sleep should be part of "A". Robbing yourself of sleep means robbing strength, energy, growth. Sleep is just as important as diet.
110% at the gym - I recommend a training partner - ability to push extra reps out with a "buddy" is, imo, THE best way to get past a limit. Think of those squats with someone helping you get a couple extra in - ouch. Or some extra curls when your arms are burning with pain - a buddy will make them happen every time. You'll crash when you get home - energy depleted, muscles aching ... ahhhh what a day.
"A" is without a doubt MORE important.
Now, gear is good at the right time - in the right fashion - "for" the right time period - it has so many applications it's hard to say "no" - but, if you inject and or injest large quantities of powerful drugs without regard for what you are doing you WILL pay the price.
party time, if it means alcohol, drugs and loss of sleep, while it might be fun, is counter productive in any sport. You have to decide what you are after and probably should forget gear.
These folks I put into two categories:
a.) "kids" (16-20 years old - sometimes older) who think by having bigger muscles you get laid more. If you need gear to get laid you are a loser and you aren't going to get laid ANYWAY. Girls are not that tough to get into bed and you don't need to be Arnold to get pussy.
b.) Then there's those who think they'll be tough guys - bullshit - if you don't know how to fight, taking gear won't help you - much (it might help a bit - but chances are the guys it will help with weren't worth fighting to begin with). Fighting takes training and guts not 19-20" arms. Worst, it might make you too cocky and you'll forget you didn't know how to fight before you started taking gear.
Train hard with a buddy, eat right, sleep 8hrs min, supplements as needed, gear at the end when you KNOW what you are after.
