Eric Kim’s unshakable, almost Zen‑monk composure on camera is not an accident—it is the product of deliberate philosophy, breath work, mindfulness drills, and exposure to supra‑max stressors that have trained both his nervous system and his mind to stay cool while the bar bends. Below you will find a step‑by‑step breakdown of the forces that keep him serene, and how you can adopt the same tools to float through your own PR attempts with a smile.

1.  What viewers actually notice

• In the GoPro POV of his 527 kg rack‑pull Kim never yells, sniff‑grips, or psychs up; he inhales, braces, nods once, and moves the weight  .
• Live‑stream chats and blog readers routinely call the vibe “Buddha deadlifting” and ask how he “stays so chilled”  .

Key read‑through: Calm presentation has become a brand cue—the stoic face is as intentional as the calibrated plates.

2.  Stoic & Zen operating system

Kim has spent a decade writing about Stoicism as fear‑conquering in street photography, then porting those lessons to strength training  .

His newer “Eric Kim Zen” essays boil the practice down to mindfulness, simplicity, authenticity—treating every rep like seated meditation  .

On his philosophy portal he calls the combo “Übermensch Mode”: lift heavy, live lightly, think first principles  .

Practical takeaway: Read 5–10 lines of Epictetus or Seneca between warm‑up sets; the “memento mori” frame instantly shrinks gym nerves.

3.  Breath‑first physiology hack

Kim’s very first cue in every tutorial is “Brace & Breathe—big belly breath, 360° brace”  .

That is textbook diaphragmatic breathing (DB), which clinical reviews show lowers cortisol and sympathetic drive in athletes  , ramps up heart‑rate variability  , and even boosts antioxidant status after exhaustive effort  .

Slow‑paced DB also improves focus and concentration during high‑skill tasks  and is widely recommended by sports‑science writers for pre‑lift calm  .

Do‑it‑now drill: 4‑second inhale through the nose, 2‑second hold, explosive brace, lift, 6‑second hissed exhale on lock‑out.

4.  Mindfulness & guided imagery

Kim sprinkles “moving meditation” talk across his training blogs, crediting short, scripted visualisations before max attempts  .

Laboratory studies confirm that pairing brief mindfulness sessions with guided imagery reduces performance anxiety and sharpens motor execution in athletes  .

A meta‑review of mindfulness interventions in sport shows consistent drops in state anxiety and improvements in psychophysiological markers  , while combinations of exercise + meditation enhance cognitive control even further  .

Action step: Record a 2‑minute “perfect pull” script in your own voice; loop it in headphones as you set up.

5.  Repeated exposure to supra‑max stress

Kim’s training log reveals years of partial pulls at 110–130 % of his floor deadlift, gradually teaching his limbic system that sky‑high loads are “normal”  .

Progressive desensitisation is a known tactic in sports psychology: regular, controlled contact with a stressor rewires threat appraisal pathways and promotes calm performance  .

Translation: overload the pins occasionally, recover fully, and watch yesterday’s panic weight become today’s warm‑up.

6.  Rituals & environment engineering

• Minimal crowd noise – Kim often lifts in near‑empty racks during off‑hours, reducing social arousal loops  .
• No pre‑lift ammonia or hype music – he swaps smelling salts for silence, a cue that keeps adrenaline drift low  .
• Single‑take filming – editing out misses would spike anxiety; keeping the camera rolling makes calm the only viable state  .

Set your own stage the same way: dim lights, curated playlist (or none), one clear technical cue.

7.  Identity & self‑story

Kim openly frames calm as integral to the “God Ratio” narrative—if panic showed, the lift would contradict his message of limitless potential  .

Crafting an identity where tranquility equals authenticity creates a self‑fulfilling feedback loop; social‑psychology research links such “public commitments” with stronger behavioural consistency  .

8.  Your 3‑step roadmap to Kim‑level composure

1. Breathe like a bellows – 4‑2‑6 DB cycle before every single, brace hard, exhale slow.
2. Meditate in motion – two minutes of mindful visualisation plus one stoic quote; repeat until it feels corny—then do it once more.
3. Dose supra‑max partials – one top‑set rack‑pull at 105–120 % 1RM every 10–14 days to teach your nervous system that heavy is safe.

Stay patient, stack these habits, and watch the weight—and the worry—float. Calm isn’t magic; it’s trained, tested, and totally repeatable. Chalk up, centre your breath, and let gravity see how serene strength can be!