Jack and the Magic Mushroom
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Rewiring the Record
Last Saturday I set a new world record in the bench for the 65-69 and 220 pound category - 385.
That broke my previous record set in February by 10 pounds which, in this game of tiny iterations, is a massive amount.
How did that happen?
I did change my training over the past 4 months to target certain stages of the lift where I was deficient. Mostly the lockout. But there was something else going on that drove that bar up like it was filled with helium.
I wondered 'could it be my psilocybin journeys?'
3 journeys that have altered my life in various and very positive ways.
Magic mushrooms help power lifting?
That’s a stretch.
Jack (69) breaking two world records within 5 minutes.
But here’s my twisted logic: one of the fast lessons I picked up when I started lifting 10 years ago was how one's mental state of mind factors into each lift. Way more critical than I thought. I recall my first forays into the rarified air of 315 bench pressing was plagued by my brain warning me each time I lifted the bar off the rack: “Uh-oh, that sucker is heavy. Hovering over your neck. Is this a good idea? Put it back!” Not a great mindset to dominate that bar.
On Saturday, though, my mind was leading the charge. It wanted that challenge, like it was a fait accompli. My warm-up opener 355 popped up. Second lift, which broke the WR, was 380 and offered little resistance. Then the WR stood for 5 minutes as I attacked 385 with a clarity that it was going up.
I had never felt that positive that the weight was going up.
My hypothesis is: the three guided journeys with psilocybin (magic mushrooms) over the past 12 months literally helped reset my mind, creating fresh neural pathways that felt like brand-new brain matter, giving me a fresh perspective on life as if I were five years old again.
That “anything is possible” openness became an unexpected edge. Like that 2-lane country road with fresh blacktop - super smooth, zero resistance. There’s plenty of scientific and anecdotal data on this.✪
A powerful audiobook, Michael Pollan’s How to Change Your Mind, introduced me to psilocybin’s fascinating history. I found a brilliant “sitter” or guide — a highly educated psychologist — who monitored and directed my three sessions safely. (DIY is not recommended.)
'What would you attempt with a mind rewired for possibility?'
Each journey had its own profound personality, but one consistent revelation stood out: time dissolved into an expansive, eternal present. No clock, no urgency, no future worries — just pure presence. Five hours in during the first session, I asked what time it was (expecting maybe 11 a.m. after a 10 a.m. start). “3 p.m.,” she said. My internal clock had been dismantled.
The real surprise came afterward. Returning to daily life, I realized how deeply we’re conditioned by rigid timelines and age expectations. At 65–70, society scripts one's decline. But experiencing time as a flexible tool — not absolute truth — shattered those limits. More importantly, the journeys triggered neuroplasticity: the brain’s ability to form new connections.
This “anything is possible” mindset turned out to be rocket fuel for powerlifting.
I reframed 70 not as slowdown time, but as a launchpad:
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I committed to serious powerlifting: heavy deadlifts, squats, and bench presses that challenge people half my age. (My IG handle: “Strongest Man on Medicare.”)
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I bought a used 1999 BMW 1200 motorcycle. The very bike I had in my 40s. Skills returned swiftly.
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I co-founded simme.ai, an AI training platform, collaborating shoulder-to-shoulder with sharp 20- and 30-somethings.
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I fuel up like a 22-year-old Navy SEAL. I keep to a strict list of 13 foods I designed as super-charged metabolic fuel. The core of which is raw liver, raw eggs, raw goat milk, red meat, greek yogurt, and LOTS of Amish butter.
This isn’t age denial — it’s integration. I bring senior wisdom on leadership, resilience, and what matters, while dropping the invisible contract that caps ambition at a certain number.
'The road is open. The future isn’t written.'
Psilocybin's generous gift wasn’t just the experiences or the time reset. It was new neural real estate: brain pathways that erased limiting beliefs and installed unbreakable confidence. In power lifting, where doubt is the ultimate enemy, that childlike excitement sets the table for records.
If you’re carrying the quiet weight of “I’m too old for…” — pause. What would you attempt with a mind rewired for possibility?
The barbell is waiting. The road is open. The future isn’t written.
Eternal vitality isn’t a myth. Sometimes it’s three journeys, some new neural highways, and the decision to lift without limits.
Who’s ready to rewrite their next chapter — and maybe break a record while doing it?
✪ A landmark Yale study found that a single dose of psilocybin in mice prompted an immediate and long-lasting increase in neuronal connections — about a 10% rise in both the number and size of dendritic spines (the structures where neurons connect). These changes persisted for a month, with behavioral improvements even in stressed subjects. Other research shows psilocybin promotes synaptogenesis, rewires large-scale networks, and opens critical periods of heightened plasticity, effectively allowing the brain to rebuild and refresh pathways. (Read more here)