I love lifting and exercising, but I don't get at all how you're supposed to listen to audio-books or think through problems (consciously anyway; that wasn't ma

I love lifting and exercising, but I don't get at all how you're supposed to listen to audio-books or think through problems (consciously anyway; that wasn't made explicit) while you're giving it proper effort. I've always found that it clears the mind like nothing else, and often found that you have a better perspective on an issue afterwards, but it's the last thing on your mind when you're under the bar or gasping through a set of burpees (as another poster recommended). Also, since people are recommending their personal favourites, I think you can do a lot worse than 5/3/1: http://www.tmuscle.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance/how_to_build_pure_strength http://www.tmuscle.com/free_online_article/sports_body_train... He sells (very cheaply) the program, but it's actually almost all in that interview. One thing not included is his own method for estimating your 1RM, which differs a bit from the article's: weight + weight * reps / 30. It has been a pretty useful approximation in my experience.