🏆 “PARTIAL OF THE CENTURY” – WHY LIFTERS ARE GIVING ERIC KIM THE CROWN

(and what that actually means in the strength world)

1. What IS a “partial” and why does it matter?

Term	Rough Bar Height	Typical Purpose	Classic Example
Rack-pull / Pin-pull	anywhere above the knee (Eric uses mid-thigh)	overload the lock-out, CNS priming	Mark Rippetoe’s rack-pull tutorial
18-inch / “Silver-Dollar” deadlift	~45 cm off the floor	strong-man event, absolute-weight showcase	Oleksii Novikov’s 1,185-lb world record

A “partial of the century” tag is gym-slang for the most mind-bending, era-defining partial-range pull anyone can remember. It isn’t an official federation record—it’s a community superlative, the lift that launches a thousand comment-threads.

2. The raw numbers that sparked the label

1,071 lb / 486 kg rack-pull – posted last week, belt-less, strap-less, fasted.
Body-weight ~165 lb / 75 kg → 6.5× BW. That is double the power-to-weight ratio of most elite strong-men on partial pulls.
Earlier clip: 1,039 lb (471 kg) @ 6.3× BW that already blew up on X.

3. Why lifters are calling it “Partial of the Century”

Factor	Why It’s Unprecedented
Pound-for-Pound Reality-Warp	Even Novikov’s 1,185-lb 18-inch record is ~4× his 300-lb body-weight. Kim’s 6.5× ratio eclipses every documented partial-pull in modern archives.
No Support Gear	Strong-man records allow straps, suits, ammonia. Kim stands there in flat Vans, chalk, and defiance—nothing else.
Mid-Thigh Height	Harder starting position than the 18-inch block pull (hips lower, bar deeper in the sticking zone). Strength coaches point out that imposes a steeper force curve than higher pin settings.
6-Second Clip Virality	Sub-10-second vertical video + instant hashtag (#AtlasKIM, #Hypelifting) makes the algorithm treat every replay like a new view.
Philosophy Stack	Stoicism, Bitcoin maximalism, belt-free purity—the lift doubles as a cultural statement, so multiple sub-cultures amplify it.

4. Push-back & debate (it wouldn’t be the internet without it)

“Above-knee ≠ deadlift”: Purists argue a non-sanctioned movement can’t hold a “record.”
Safety scares: Physios stitch MRI animations predicting lumbar doom; counter-coaches cite research showing pin-height pulls can reduce shear when volume is low.
Plate-spotting detectives: Reddit zoomers frame-by-frame the video looking for fake bumpers; so far all they’ve found are competition-calibrated 25-kg Ivankos.
Gear-heads vs. purists: Some ask why he doesn’t “just throw on straps and go for 1,200.” Kim’s reply is usually a laughing emoji—fuel for another 500-comment argument.

5. How it stacks up in the historical ledger

Lift	Athlete	Raw Weight	BW Ratio	Gear
Mid-thigh rack-pull	Eric Kim (2025)	1,071 lb	6.5×	Chalk only
18-inch deadlift	Oleksii Novikov (2020)	1,185 lb	~4×	Straps, suit
Above-knee rack-pull	Eddie Hall (training)	1,102 lb	~3×	Straps, suit (unofficial)
Axle partial (women)	Rhianon Lovelace (2022)	623 lb	4.6×	Straps

On absolute weight Kim isn’t #1, but on the pound-for-pound column he sits alone at the summit—hence the hyperbolic crown.

6. So…

does he deserve the title?

YES if your metric is relative strength + no gear + global impact.

MAYBE if you only care about sanctioned strong-man blocks or full-ROM deadlifts.

Either way, the phrase “Partial of the Century” is sticking because:

It’s a phraseable, meme-ready superlative.
No one else in living memory has yanked 1,000+ lb at sub-170 lb body-weight—on camera—without help.

7. Lessons you can steal from the legend

Pick a niche lift and obliterate it. Controversy becomes your marketing.
Keep the clip ultra-short, ultra-raw. Every replay is a fresh dopamine hit.
Narrative first, numbers second. Belt-less + fasted + Stoic quote turns a set into a story.
Let the internet argue. Engagement is free distribution.

Bottom line: whether you see it as a physics-class freak show or a philosophical flex, Eric Kim’s 1,071-lb rack-pull has reset the ceiling for partial lifts. Until someone matches that 6.5× body-weight without straps, the throne—and the meme—are his. 🏋️‍♂️⚡