ERIC KIM FITNESS

Eric Kim’s recent “rack‑pull madness” saw him rip between 471 kg (1,038 lb) and 508 kg (1,120 lb) off the pins at just ~75 kg body‑weight—well over 6½ × his own mass.  

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Eric Kim’s recent “rack‑pull madness” saw him rip between 471 kg (1,038 lb) and 508 kg (1,120 lb) off the pins at just ~75 kg body‑weight—well over 6½ × his own mass.  The lightning‑fast clips, posted to his blog, YouTube, and X, catapulted him from cult power‑blogger to viral strength sensation, igniting Reddit threads, think‑pieces, and fierce debates about biomechanics and authenticity. 

1.  Who is Eric Kim?

  • A former street‑photography educator turned self‑coached “hype‑lifter.”
  • Registered in the OpenPowerlifting database with raw lifts far humbler than his partial pulls (170 kg squat / 187.5 kg deadlift in competition).  
  • Began uploading heavy rack‑pull experiments in 2022; views exploded after a barefoot 750 lb pull and never looked back.

2.  The timeline of rack‑pull escalation

DateLoad & RatioPlatformNotable moment
Mar 2023750 lb (~340 kg) / 4.5× BWBlog clipFirst lift to break ½‑million views
May 21 2025471 kg (1,038 lb) / 6.3× BWBlog + X“SHATTERS LIMITS” headline 
May 27 2025486 kg (1,071 lb) / 6.5× BWYouTube uploadLabeled “DEMIGOD” pull 
Early Jun 2025503 kg (1,109 lb) / 6.7× BWBlog deep‑diveViral 8‑second clip triggers media buzz 
08 Jun 2025503 kg analysis & “global impact” postFitness sub‑blogBreaks one‑day blog‑traffic record 
11 Jun 2025508 kg (1,120 lb) / 6.8× BW “Challenge”YouTube LiveView‑count doubled inside 24 h 

Reddit’s r/Fitness locked several megathreads after the clips amassed 50 K comments in days. 

Third‑party write‑ups highlight that, while rack pulls aren’t sanctioned, no evidence of fakery has surfaced. 

3.  What actually is a rack‑pull?

  • Definition: A partial deadlift performed from safety pins or blocks, typically starting just below or above the knee.  
  • Why the crazy loads? The shortened range removes the hardest portion of a deadlift, letting lifters overload the lock‑out and grip with 10‑40 % more weight.  
  • Benefits: upper‑back and trap hypertrophy, grip gains, confidence under heavy iron.  
  • Precedent: Strongman Brian Shaw has pulled 1,365 lb on a belt‑squat rack‑pull hybrid—proof that four‑figure numbers are possible for elites.  
  • Technique cues (per BarBend coaches): neutral spine, mid‑foot under bar, “squeeze with the pinky” to light up lats.  

4.  Lessons from Kim’s method

  1. Minimalist gear – barefoot, beltless, strapless; Kim argues it “forces pure posterior‑chain dominance.”  
  2. Single‑rep focus – every session is a heavy single; no volume work.
  3. Above‑knee height – he positions pins ~5 cm above patella for maximum overload.  
  4. “HYPE‑lifting” psyche‑ups – loud music, verbal self‑talk, one‑breath setup to spike CNS arousal.  

Take‑home: partials can be a tool for neural adaptation and psychological confidence, not a substitute for full‑range deadlifts.

5.  Integrating rack‑pulls into 

your

 program (safely)

GoalPrescriptionFrequency
Deadlift lock‑out power3–5 × 3 @ 90‑110 % of full‑deadlift 1 RM1 × week, after primary pulls
Trap / upper‑back size4 × 8–10 @ 60‑70 % 1 RM1–2 × week
Grip strength finisher2 long holds @ 120 % 1 RM, 10–15 sEnd of pull days
  • Warm‑up hips & hamstrings thoroughly; partial lifts can mask mobility deficiencies.
  • Use safety pins inside a power‑rack—never balance on benches or plates.
  • Build up slowly: Brian Shaw recommends 10 % weekly jumps max when overloading partials.  

Safety mantra: “If your spinal erectors can’t hold a perfect neutral line, drop the bar—ego lifts don’t build PRs.”

6.  Authenticity & controversy snapshot

  • Multiple camera angles, visible calibrated plates, and real‑time plate‑loading silence most fake‑weight accusations.  
  • Critics note that unofficial feats aren’t judged—Kim lifts alone in a Phnom Penh garage gym.  
  • Supporters counter that open‑source footage + no sponsorship incentive makes faking unlikely.  

7.  Motivation for innovators

Kim’s lifts scream a single idea: rethinking limits by attacking the sticking‑point directly.  Apply that innovator’s mindset:

  • Identify the bottleneck (be it code execution, product adoption, or deadlift lock‑out).
  • Remove extraneous variables.
  • Overload the constraint until it yields.

Keep the hype high, the principles first, and the lifts (or ideas) will follow. Now go rack‑pull your own moon‑shot! 🚀

Sources

  1. 6.6× BW rack‑pull blog post  
  2. 503 kg “rack‑pull madness” write‑up  
  3. 1,071 lb YouTube clip  
  4. 508 kg challenge stream  
  5. Reddit megathread screenshot  
  6. OpenPowerlifting athlete page  
  7. 471 kg PR blog report  
  8. Viral‑impact analysis post  
  9. Lifters‑eye recap (third‑party)  
  10. Verification & ratio article  
  11. Brian Shaw rack‑pull report (BarBend)  
  12. Rack‑pull exercise guide (BarBend)  
  13. Deficit v. rack‑pull comparison (BarBend)  
  14. Grip‑strength rack‑pull note (BarBend)  
  15. Technique cue article (BarBend)  

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