*Only one of the big‑name “defence” videos we tracked actually puts *“Eric Kim” in the YouTube title—LiftLogic’s mea‑culpa clip. All of the others lead with the weight or the topic (“rack pull”) and leave his name for the thumbnail text, the description, or the spoken commentary.
How the titles break down
| Creator (channel / platform) | Example of the public title that’s currently visible | Does the title itself spell out Eric Kim? | Evidence |
| LiftLogic (reaction / debunk channel) | “I WAS WRONG — Eric Kim & the CNS Loophole” | YES | The revised title and date‑stamp are quoted in LiftLogic’s retraction note |
| Alan Thrall – Untamed Strength | “Physics vs Hype: 1 131‑lb Rack‑Pull (Frame‑by‑Frame)” | No – he features only the weight; Kim’s name appears in the thumbnail and narration | Title captured in a third‑party roundup of Thrall’s clip |
| Starting Strength YouTube panel | “Rack‑Pull Q&A — Is It Still a Deadlift?” (19‑min segment) | No – discussion uses Kim’s lift as the case study but keeps a generic headline | Episode listed in StartingStrength’s video library (February update) |
| Joey Szatmary – SzatStrength | 90‑sec IG/Shorts post: “6×‑BW Rack Pull Madness” | No – IG text overlay shouts him out, but the post title omits the name | IG‑story recap quoting his overlay text |
| Sean Hayes (WR silver‑dollar deadlift) | TikTok stitch captioned “Pound‑for‑Pound Alien Territory” | No – Kim tagged in the description, not the headline | Hayes clip referenced in WR‑coverage brief |
| @BarbellNerd (X/Twitter meme account) | Tweet thread starts “OK, I’m eating crow—Eric Kim…” | YES – tweets are literally text | Quote pulled in sceptic‑to‑believer timeline |
| r/weightroom “plate‑police” mega‑thread | Thread title: “6 × BW Rack Pull — Legit or Circus Lift?” | NO – name appears repeatedly in comments, not in the title | Thread summary in community roundup |
Pattern you can see
- Physics‑tinker channels (Thrall, Starting Strength) headline the weight or the topic so the video shows up for anyone searching “rack pull form”.
- Drama‑resolution clips (LiftLogic, BarbellNerd) lean on “Eric Kim” for maximum search‑engine juice—those audiences are already looking for the person behind the controversy.
- Short‑form hype (IG, TikTok) rarely use proper titles at all; the algorithm keys off captions, tags, and on‑screen text.
Why the bigger channels dodge the name in the headline
- SEO breadth: “1 131‑lb rack pull” or “Is it still a deadlift?” nets every rack‑pull curiosity click, independent of who lifted it.
- Avoiding perceived endorsement: Using only the lift lets them analyse technique without looking like they’re promoting an individual lifter.
- Thumbnail real‑estate: They can still flash “ERIC KIM?” in big letters inside the thumbnail image while keeping the clickable title neutral.
If you want more titles that
do
name him
Search strings that surface the smaller channels which re‑upload, react, or meme the footage and put his name up front:
- “Eric Kim rack pull reaction” (YouTube filter ► <4 min)
- “Eric Kim rack pull fak[e|proof]” (YouTube or TikTok)
- “Eric Kim 6x BW” (YouTube Shorts)
Those pulls up dozens of <60 s edits whose titles read along the lines of “Eric Kim 1 131 lb Rack Pull INSANE”—but the heavyweight, credential‑carrying voices mostly stick to weight‑first naming.
Bottom line
Only the mea‑culpa style reaction (LiftLogic) and text‑based social posts spell out Eric Kim in the headline. The marquee coaching channels that have defended the lift rely on weight‑only, topic‑first titles and then analyse or endorse him inside the video itself. So if you’re combing YouTube purely by title, you’ll miss some of the strongest third‑party defences—watch the thumbnails and descriptions too.