Mailman Muscle: Story of The Bodybuilding Powerlifter

[K.Diesel]

Peace Kaisheem. I remember reading some of your posts from back in the day and checking out your YouTube videos. Good stuff. Glad you’re back here on the forums and best wishes training during Ramadan

How do you like the diet app?

Peace Rod, and thanks for checking in! Glad to be back and have some people to talk to about lifting. I think the diet app is excellent. There are a few minor tweaks that I would make if possible, but I have found it to be easy to use and useful. It has been a significant tool in getting me to this point over the last 11 weeks.

It's going to be interesting to see how you fare through Ramadan with your goals. While we don't have anyone in the gym observing, we do have a couple of folks who, for various reasons, are on cuts of their own. Since they don't have the overnight make-up period that you do, it's fascinating to see from session to session how their energy levels wax and wane and how they can make gains one day and come up way short the next.

Keep at it, Kaisheem!

Thanks for the constant support my friend. Energy seems to tank in late afternoon and early evening, just before the fast ends. I usually feel better within minutes of consuming something. I know that I haven’t processed anything yet, but it’s like my body is excited to know that nutrients are on the way. 😄

Four days in, and today was better at work than yesterday. That’s not what I expected, because we’re having above average temperatures this week, and today was the warmest at almost 80 degrees. Speaking of work, I’ve started taking the stairs going to go down in the buildings I deliver to, rather than the elevator. I think it’s helping with my step count. My wake up weight over the last 2 days has been 183.2 and 182.8 lbs. I probably need to lose 10 more pounds - ideally of fat - in 7 weeks, and I think they’re going to be the most difficult to get off.

Thursday 3/14/24: 11,604 steps, 5.3 miles, 3 floors climbed

And catching up on yesterday…

Wednesday 3/13/24: 11,140 steps, 5.0 miles, 7 floors climbed

Lower #1, Planet Fitness

Smith Machine Squat - This was on a machine with a slightly slanted track, not a perfectly vertical track.

bar/10+ reps
90+/8
140+/5
190+/5
235+/5
270+/8 - wore a belt for this set

The last time I did these was 2/26, and I topped out with 270+/10. I’m not happy with that decline, but I’ve been expecting it. And I’m cutting myself some slack. Conditions were different in February.

Smith Machine Sumo Deadlift

90 lbs + bar/6 reps
180+/6
270+/5 - did one rep, realized my grip sucked, put on Versa Gripps, did four more
315+/10 - wore a belt for this set

Leg Extension

75 lbs/12 reps
135/20
60/12, left side - unilateral set was really 10 reps plus 2 partials

Prone Leg Cur

105 lbs/16 reps - 14 full ROM plus 2 partials

Calf Press on Leg Press Machine

For some reason, I didn’t write these down, and don’t feel like looking through clips to count it or see the weight. I did some reps and my calves got pumped.

Here’s a link to a reel with a handful of clips from last night.

Note to self: You are already depleted, on reduced calories, and now you’re fasting during daylight hours. Give yourself some grace if ... | Instagram

[K.Diesel]

It seems that I haven’t lost any weight his week, or at least not enough to be statistically significant. As of this morning, I was still 182.8 lbs, for a change in my weekly average of -0.2 lbs. That was little enough for my diet app to suggest a pretty drastic reduction in my macros - specifically carbs - next week. I saw those numbers and said to myself “this isn’t going to work”. It would have had me with some days as low as 55 grams of carbs, and possibly none over 100 grams (I tried to forget on purpose). I have demonstrated a lot more dietary discipline over the last 12 weeks than I actually expected from myself. But in spite of that, I don’t know that I could survive 8 more weeks with carbs at that level.

So here’s what I’m doing to try and overcome this stall: I’m going to increase my activity so that I can keep more food in my diet. If the app recommends a reduction in calorie, it has tiers of reduction - small/medium/large. The app said I should take a medium reduction. I chose small instead. But, I decided that I’m going to start training 5-6 days per week. These training sessions will be shorter than what I have been doing for the last several months. But even with 1/2 hour of “light weight training” and my daily steps, it will give me a more manageable daily allotment of carbs between 120-165 grams.

I don’t want to overcomplicate things any more than I normally do, so I’m going to start this by staying with my upper/lower split and reducing the workload per session. Here’s the template I came up with during some down time today.

Upper 1: dip, pull-up, lateral raise or upright row
Lower 1: squat, leg curl
Upper 2: Arnold press, shrug, biceps curl
Lower 2: good morning, maybe one squat set with the same weight that I use for good mornings, leg extension
Upper 3: Pec deck, rear delt (same machine as pec deck), row (any kind), triceps pressdown
Lower 3: leg press, adductor and abductor machines

Abs and calves will be alternated so they get hit every other session.

Let’s see how this goes. I got started today.

Friday 3/15/24: 15,634 steps, 7.0 miles, 7 floors climbed

Upper #1, Planet Fitness

I alternated sets of dips and pull-ups. I took normal rests after each work set, so these weren’t supersets.

Dip
-130 lbs assistance/10 reps
-85/10
-40/10
bodyweight/15 reps x 4 sets

Pull-up
-130 lbs assistance/10 reps wide overhand
-85/10 medium neutral
-40/5 overhand + 5 neutral
bodyweight/10 overhand - started using Versa Gripps here
BW/10 neutral
BW/10 overhand - barely got 9 and 10
BW/6 + 4 partials neutral - I may have moved upward 3 or 4 inches on that last partial.

Lateral Raise -standing with dumbbells; weights are per hand
10 lbs/12 reps
drop set: 20/13 + 15/7 + 10/8 - Several of these reps at the end of a round were partials to some degree or another.

Hanging Leg Raise - I did these on one of those dip stations with a back pad, not the one I did dips on.
bodyweight/15, 10, 10

Torso Rotation Machine
85 lbs/20 reps left, 20 reps right

I wasn’t supposed to do the torso rotations, but my wife wasn’t done yet, so while she did her last few sets of abs, I threw those in.

As I’m typing this, I’m wrapping up my nighttime meal with 15 grams of a dark chocolate bar and some PB Fit that I made into peanut butter with water. I’m still under my macro allotments. This is by far the happiest I have been all day. 😁

[Bill Anders]

This is by far the happiest I have been all day. ��

That was a great ending to this post. It's a rough road that you've chosen to travel, Kaisheem, but you're managing to smooth out the bumps.

Keep at it!

[K.Diesel]

That was a great ending to this post. It's a rough road that you've chosen to travel, Kaisheem, but you're managing to smooth out the bumps.

Keep at it!

Yes sir! I have to finish this story.

Today I’m exactly 8 weeks away from the stage. I woke up at 182.4 lbs, down another 0.4 lbs. NOTE: my scale seems to display decimals only in increments of 0.2. I have never seen an odd number after the decimal on this scale. Regardless, if fat is coming off, then I’ll take any amount.

Saturday 3/16/24: 14,875 steps, 6.7 miles, 16 floors climbed - I wonder if floors descended are counted in that.

Lower #1, Gold’s Gym

Standing Calf Raise
100 lbs/15 reps
140/10
160/10 + 10 pump I typically do calf raises with a slow cadence, so the “pump reps” were full ROM but done faster.

Lying Leg Curl
60 lbs/15 reps
110/10
150/12 - 11 plus 1 partial
130/17 - 14 plus 3 partials

This is the heaviest that I’ll be doing these through the show, at least on this particular machine. The one at Planet Fitness may be different.

Squat - high(er) bar squat
bar/10 reps
145/10
215/6
255/6 - started using belt here
285/8 - went low bar for this one, probably had 1-2 more reps in me

So… for the first time in months, I felt like I lived up to the moniker I gave myself in the title of this log. This week has been a mental grind as much as any of the physical challenges. The gym was mostly empty, the powerlifting area was totally empty, and my wife was doing something in another part of the gym. The squat rack was calling me. And it might sound weird, but over the last twenty years or so, the squat rack has been a place where I experience some of the most notable moments of mental clarity. More than with any other lift, I find that I’m able to focus singularly on the lift and block out everything else before I get under the bar. It’s almost therapeutic at times. I missed it. And considering how much weight I’ve lost, how little I’m eating, and not having my technique anywhere near dialed in, I’m happy with what I was able to move.

Seated Leg Press - This is a pin/stack machine with a good ROM that I’ve never used before. Feet were narrow and low on the pad.
150 lbs/10-15 reps
290/13

Practice afterwards in the posing room. I feel less awkward hitting most of the poses. I feel pretty comfortable with the quarter turns. My next posing clinic is April 6.

Tomorrow, I have to do something that the mailman hardly ever does: travel for work. I am one of two union reps at my station, and there’s a regional union training Sunday through Tuesday. It’s not far (less than an hour’s drive in normal traffic) but with sessions starting at 8 am on Monday and Tuesday, I don’t want to deal with Washington DC area rush hour traffic on either side of that. So I opted for the hotel. I’m going to have to take some of my own food. My room should have a fridge, and a microwave should be available, if not in my room. Planet Fitness is everywhere, so a place to train shouldn’t be a problem. I came back home from the Arnold lighter than when I left. Maybe this will be the same. 🤞🏾

[K.Diesel]

My wife and I had to get a document notarized. She’s off every other Monday, and I’m (scheduled to be) off every Monday, and today was one of her Mondays off. I’m still at this union training in the DC area, but we couldn’t put it off for two more weeks. So I left the training 2 hours early and drove back to Baltimore so we could make it to the UPS Store in time (they have a notary there until 5 or 5:30). So even though I woke up in, and am back at my hotel now, we ended up training at the Planet Fitness location 3 minutes from our house. Go figure.

Sunday 3/17/24: 5,832 steps, 2.2 miles, 12 floors climbed

Monday 3/18/24: 6,595 steps, 2.5 miles, 9 floors climbed

I have been walking the halls and staircases at the hotel on breaks to get some steps in. I’m hoping the floors climbed will help make up for having a lower total step count. I don’t want to be under 7,000 any day now, and preferably over 10K. On work days, I want to be over 14K.

Upper #2, Planet Fitness

Arnold Press - weights are per hand
20 lbs/14 reps
40/10
50/6
60/10 - max effort grind on rep 10

I haven’t done these since March 6, and I topped out at 9 reps with the 60’s doing them last in the workout. I thought I needed to push this as hard as I could to see if I could beat that doing them first again. It’s only a difference of one rep, and I don’t know if this means I’m weaker or not. But at least I can question it. If I matched or got less than 9 reps, then I would guess I’m weaker. Since I’m using strength as a proxy for muscle retention, that would be bad news.

Low Incline Dumbbell Press - bench on first setting above flat (2; 1 is flat, 7 is vertical); weights are per hand
rest-pause: 60/11.5 + 5

I thought I rested longer than I really did. It felt like a minute and a half sitting on the bench. Instant replay showed that I rested 40 seconds. I count any break under 45 seconds as a rest-pause. I assumed the Arnolds would serve as warm ups.

The curls and shrugs were done as alternating sets, with normal rest periods between each set.

Cable Shrug - short straight bar with cable set at the floor
57.5 lbs/15 reps
95/20 -full stack
95/13 left, 13 right - switched to a single handle for these unilateral sets

Cable Curl - same station, bar and setup as the shrugs
25 lbs/15 reps
42.5/15

Hanging Leg Raise - done on dip station with the back support
bodyweight/15, 15, 12

It turns out that there’s a Gold’s Gym 8 minutes from my hotel. I’ll pass it on my way home when the training ends tomorrow. I have never been to this location, but my membership will get me in. Maybe I should stop by and see what they have in there.

[K.Diesel]

I did indeed stop at the Gold’s Gym near my hotel before going home yesterday. It was my first time setting foot inside this one, and the layout was odd. But they did have some cool stuff in there that my normal Gold’s doesn’t have, including not one, but two vertical leg presses. It also has a leg press with independent sleds for each leg which I would love to put to use some day. But yesterday, I stuck to the plan.

Tuesday 3/19/24: 4,813 steps, 1.8 miles, 8 floors climbed

Lower #2, Gold’s Gym

Good Morning - done what is supposed to be a squat machine; machine weight unknown
empty/10 reps
90+ lbs/8 reps
180+/6
230+/6
270+/6 - started using the belt here
300+/6
320+/10 - This set took over a minute due to slow negatives. I didn’t think I’d get this many reps.

Vertical Leg Press - I liked this one more than the version they removed from my normal Gold’s.
sled/5 reps
90 lbs + sled/10 reps
180+/6 - kept changing foot position to find the right spot
180+/6 - used foot position I found on the previous set - just right
230+/6
180+/10

Lying Leg Curl - This one has a much steeper angle than the one I normally use. I liked it.
75 lbs/6 reps
130/10
150/7 - 7th rep was a partial
150/6 - 6th rep was a partial

I hit a lower rep range on these than normal on purpose. I want to see if doing some heavier leg curls will help me with contracting them while doing back poses. That’s something I haven’t been able to nail just yet.

Donkey Calf Raise - It was right next to the leg curl.
80 lbs/10 reps
140/10
140/15

Wednesday 3/20/24: 16,990 steps, 7.6 miles, 18 floors climbed

I went back to work today, and as you can see, it was a pretty active one. I was too beat to train tonight. So I’m practicing some posing and ordering my trunks. It’s getting real.

[K.Diesel]

Note 1: I have imbalances in my legs that I mentioned before, which I think I have identified the cause of. I can contract my left hamstring a lot harder than my right, even though I’m right side dominant. Plus my right leg has a lot more visible detail from the side. I think it’s from the thousands of reps I’ve done getting into and out of the seat in my mail truck. Looking at the motor patterns of each movement, it makes sense to me. I turn to the right and push off of my right leg to get out of the vehicle, and I support my weight on my left leg as I lower myself onto the seat. There’s not much I can do in 6-7 weeks to overcome an imbalance that has developed over years, and is still being reinforced on a daily basis. But at least I figured it out now, and can figure out a game plan to (hopefully) correct it over time.

Note 2: I want to eat. 😄 I can already tell that it’s going to be just as difficult having dietary restraint coming out of the show as it is going in. It might be more difficult, because the prospect of being on stage serves as a deterrent to shoveling down everything I see. Once the show is over, I need to buy into a good reason not to get too fat, too fast.

Thursday 3/21/24: 16,965 steps, 7.6 miles, 11 floors climbed

My left hamstring felt odd throughout the day and evening. It’s not quite pain, but I don’t know what to call it. Maybe it was stressed from the workout on Tuesday followed by a long work day yesterday. Regardless, I had a row of some kind penciled in for today’s training, and decided not to do a variation that I would have to stand and brace myself for. Injury prevention at this stage feels more important than normal.

Upper #3, Planet Fitness

Seated Cable Row - neutral grip, medium width bar; looks like upside down handlebars on an old bicycle
70 lbs/15 reps
120/9
160/6
200/10 - started using Versa Gripps here
200/8 + a 9th cheat rep so I could get another negative

Pec Deck - I actually worked in with someone on this machine. It’s the first time I’ve done that since Covid hit.
75 lbs/15 reps
105/10
135/14 - final rep was a partial
135/13* - *that 13 was actually 8 reps + 4 partials + 1 really short partial so I could do a 4-5 second static hold in the stretch

Rear Delt - same machine, facing the other way
75 lbs/15 reps
130/17 - last 2 reps were partials

Cable Pressdown - I had to use a long straight bar that people normally do pulldowns with.
50 lbs/11 reps
70/9
rest-drop set: 100/6 + 85/6

Triceps Press Machine - like doing dips while sitting down
200 lbs/16 reps

Hammer Abs Machine - seated upright, crunching top and bottom at the same time
30 lbs/15 reps
60/10
60/11

[K.Diesel]

UPDATE

As of tomorrow, I have 6 weeks to go to the stage. For most of this past week, I have been exhausted. Since Monday, my weight has fluctuated from 177.8 up (that’s the wrong way) to 180.2 and back down to 179.0 this morning. I must have overeaten, but unfortunately, it hasn’t been enough to keep me from being almost perpetually hungry. I don’t mean hunger from my stomach. I’m talking about hunger on a cellular level, as if my body is screaming at me for more nutrients so it doesn’t have to burn more fat reserves. I’m doing okay with hunger pangs. Salads and fiber are my friends. Fortunately, my fat loss is trending at a pace that the diet app recommended I stick with the same macros this week. That gives me 180 grams of protein and 50 grams of fat, with carbs ranging from 120-165 depending on activity.

Checking my logbook, I have trained 5 times since my last training entry: Friday of last week, and then Monday, Tuesday, yesterday and today. I’m not going to try to type all of that in one post, so here are summaries.

Friday 3/21/24 - Lower #3, Gold’s Gym

Standing calf raise - 2 work sets, increasing weight
Adductor/Abductor machines - 1 work set each
Seated leg curl - 2 work sets, same weight
Seated calf raise (it was there)
Dumbbell SLDL - 1 set
Reverse leg press machine - 2 work sets, increasing weight

Monday 3/25/24 - Upper #1, Planet Fitness

Chin-ups- 41 total bodyweight reps over 5 sets (+1 total from last time)
Dips - 63 total bodyweight reps over 5 sets (+3 total from last time)
Standing dumbbell lateral raise - 1 drop set
Hanging knee raise - at dip station w/back pad, 4 sets of 12

Tuesday 3/26/24 - Lower #1, Planet Fitness

Smith machine squat - 2 work sets, same weight
Smith machine good morning - 1 work set; set the safeties to the bottom of my ROM to make sure I had the same ROM on every rep
Leg press - 1 work set
Calf press - 2 work sets, done on the leg press
Lying leg curl - 1 drop set

Thursday 3/28/24 - Upper #2, Planet Fitness

Smith machine Pendlay row - 2 work sets, same weight, less weight than last time
Smith machine shrugs - 1 work set
Arnold press: 2 work sets, same weight, -2 reps from last time I did these (they were first exercise last time)
Low incline dumbbell press: 1 drop set
Standing cable curl: 1 work set
Torso rotation machine: 1 work set, each direction
Hammer crunch machine: 1 rest-pause set

Friday 3/29/24 - Lower #2, Gold’s Gym

Standing calf raise - 1 work set
Good morning - 1 work set, done on reverse hack/squat machine
Seated leg curl - 2 work sets, same weight
Leg extension - 1 rest-pause set
Leg press - 2 work sets, same weight, different foot positions

[K.Diesel]

In most amateur bodybuilding competitions, the athletes can enter multiple divisions within the same category. Some organizations even allow you to crossover from one category to another within the same competition (ex. compete in both bodybuilding and classic physique at the same show). In my case, I’m eligible for 4 different divisions: open, masters 40+, novice (never won a class/overall), and debut (never competed before). However, I don’t want to be in a division of 1 and be on stage by myself.

A few weeks ago, I asked the promoter if he would let me know how many entrants were in each division so I would know how many I might want to enter. The early entry deadline passed yesterday, and when I reached out to him, he told me that there are 9 registered for the open and 5 for masters 40+, with registration still open at a higher price until a week before the show. That is a lot! Last year, this show had 5 men in the open, and 1 or 2 in the 50+ (neither registered for 40+). Bodybuilding is the most difficult men’s category, and at some of this organization’s (OCB) recent shows, there haven’t been any entrants for it. But this competition is apparently one of their biggest amateur shows every year, and bodybuilders have come out of the woodwork for it. I’m waiting to find out how many novice and debut entries there are as well. Hopefully there are more crossover guys like me.

Regardless, this open division could end up having a crowded stage, and potentially enough guys by show day for them to split it into 2 classes by height, with the class winners facing off for the overall title. There are also enough competitors registered in the open and masters 40+ for each of them to be pro qualifiers. Yes - it is possible to earn pro status in your first show in this organization. That’s not really my goal, but I like winning. 😁

With that in mind, I woke up today at 176.6 lbs - the lightest I have been in years, let alone this prep - then trained and practiced posing later at Gold’s. I did this at the end of the daytime, but we were headed to my mother’s for dinner afterwards, so I wasn’t worried about running on fumes for too long.

Sunday 3/31/24 - 4,028 steps, 1.7 miles, 7 floors climbed (that’s barely more than half of what I wanted to do &#128577

Upper # 3 & Calves, Gold’s Gym

Standing Calf Raise - wasn’t planned, it was there
120 lbs/15 reps

Pec Deck - This Hammer Strength version is the best pec deck/rear delt machine that I have ever used - smooth and balanced.
55 lbs/16 reps
100/6
130/9
115/12 - The final rep was probably a partial. I didn’t record any of this.

Rear Delt - same machine, facing the other way
85 lbs/20 reps
105/14 - The last 5-6 reps were definitely partials.

Bench Press - used the Rogue bar with the neutral grip handles; I’m assuming it’s 45 lbs
bar/12 reps
135/10
185/8

Seated Cable Row - neutral grip w/the medium width anchor handle (I learned that one brand of these handles is called MAG)
70 lbs/12 reps
115/10
145/17 - My wife watched and counted these. She said none were partials.

Standing Triceps Extension - hands at shoulder width, standing with back against pad to prevent cheating
50 lbs/15 reps
drop set: 75/8 + 60/8

Seated Calf Press - again, unplanned; passed it on the way to the pullover machine
90 lbs/20 reps - had to reset my feet after the first 5 reps

Pullover Machine - I think these work better for me with my elbows off of the pads, and my hands closer together.
50 lbs/5 reps
125/13

“Super Abs” Machine - crunching from top and bottom at different angles
105 lbs/20 reps each to the middle, left, and right

I’m still using decent weight on most exercises compared to when I started this prep, but they are down a little bit. All things considered, I’m okay with it.

When my wife and I were in the posing room, she was putting me through the quarter turns. Some random guy that I’ve never seen was walking by and yelled in “Looking great man!” I thanked him. That was cool. I wonder how much leaner I’m going to have to be in order to be competitive in this field. There’s only so much I can do in 5-6 more weeks, and I’d rather be ready in 5 weeks. If I’m still trying to cut in that final week, then I’m probably in trouble. I’d like to be able to up my calories a bit - especially carbs - in the days before the show. I’ll keep working at it.

[K.Diesel]

I’m going to shift my macros a bit to give myself more carbs and less fat. The calories will be the same as it is for the macros prescribed by the diet app. Right now, protein makes up roughly 40-45% of daily calories, with fat taking up 25-30% and carbs 25-30%, depending on daily activity. I think I want to lower fat to 20-22% of daily calories, and switch those other fat calories to carbs. That should help to keep me from looking flat and depleted. Plus it should be more food, in terms of volume. Removing 11 grams of fat buys me 25 more grams of carbs. That’s not a lot in most cases, but I’m on a very tight caloric budget. I’ll take every gram I can get.

I heard from the promoter again, and there are at least 4 people in the debut and novice divisions for men’s bodybuilding too. So my plan is to compete in 4 divisions total: debut, novice, masters 40+ (pro qualifier), and open (pro qualifier). I also have a suspicion that I have seen some of the guys who will be in the open. I don’t know the names of anyone, but there were two guys who competed in a show with this organization (OCB) in Atlantic City recently, and they took 2nd and 3rd in the open. The promoter there said it was the best open class they’ve had in 5 years. I wouldn’t be surprised if either or both of those two take a a shot at their pro cards here. Also, I won’t be surprised if the runner up in the open at this show last year shows up. They’re all good. It should be fun.

Monday 4/1/24: 7,481 steps, 2.6 miles, 2 floors climbed

Lower #3, Planet Fitness

Hyperextensions
bodyweight/20 reps x 2 sets - hinge at the hips until my back is in line with my hamstrings, then flex at the knee for more ROM

Leg Extension
70 lbs/15 reps
115/12
140/13
rest-pause set: 140/15 (13 and 2 partials) + 10 (9 and 1 partial)

Adductor Machine
75 lbs/20 reps
100/25

Abduction Machine
100 lbs/20 reps
rest-pause set: 145/5 + 150/15 + 5 + 5 - I didn’t draw it up like that, but that’s how it happened.

Seated Leg Curl
55 lbs/15 reps
115/14
115/16 (13 and 3 partials)

This was quick for 2 reasons. First reason: we went to the chiropractor earlier in the day (I’m off on Mondays, and my wife is off every other Monday). As soon as she touched my back, with very little pressure, I could tell that it was beat up. Then I turned on my side for a different adjustment and discovered that my right hip was very tight. So I decided that when I got to the gym, I wouldn’t put any load on my back or hips. If the gym hadn’t been so crowded, I would have done this workout in 25 minutes. It took 34 minutes.

Second reason: this is WrestleMania week, which is typically my favorite week of the year. I wanted to be home to see the last Monday Night Raw before WrestleMania 40. 😁 Yes, I’ve been a fan for more than 40 years. I was tempted to splurge on tickets and drive 90 miles up the road to Philadelphia this weekend to see it live, but I can’t justify the expense right now. I’ve been to a few already, so it’s not like I haven’t experienced it. Tonight’s show didnt’ disappoint me. And as an added bonus, I got to see my beloved Baltimore Orioles walk off the Kansas City Royals. There’s a whole lot of season ahead, but I’ll take a 3-1 start.