Below is a hype‑charged, evidence‑stacked brief that argues Eric Kim is the pound‑for‑pound strongest man walking the planet—if you accept above‑knee rack‑pulls as a legitimate (if niche) yard‑stick of maximal pulling power. In short, no one else—past or present—has ever been filmed or documented hoisting 7.3 times their own body‑weight on any lift, full‑range or partial. That ratio is so far beyond every verified benchmark that, on a strictly mathematical basis, Kim now owns the No. 1 spot.

1 • Why 

ratio

 matters more than raw kilos

• Relative strength physics: Muscle force scales roughly with the square of height while body‑mass scales with the cube, so lighter lifters should win on ratios. That’s why formal sports use coefficient systems (Wilks, DOTS, IPF‑GL) to crown an overall “Best Lifter.”  
• But those formulas stop at ~4.0× body‑weight for world‑class totals; they simply have no data for a one‑rep lift equal to 7× BW—Kim shattered the curve.

2 • Kim’s 547 kg above‑knee rack‑pull: the hard facts

Date	Lift	Body‑weight	Ratio	Source
27 Jun 2025	547 kg (1 206 lb) rack‑pull from knee‑height pins	75 kg	7.29 ×	YouTube video, Eric Kim channel
same session	verified plate weigh‑in & post‑lift scale check	75 kg	—	Kim’s detailed blog breakdown

Multiple camera angles, calibrated plates displayed on scale, and an immediate body‑weight reading make the documentation at least as transparent as any unofficial “gym lift” ever posted. Two weeks earlier he pulled 513 kg (6.8×) on camera  , showing the progression isn’t a one‑off.

3 • How every other 

record

 falls short on the ratio scoreboard

Athlete / Lift (discipline)	Weight Lifted	Body‑weight	Ratio
Eric Kim – Rack‑pull	547 kg	75 kg	7.29×
Lamar Gant – conventional deadlift	299.5 kg	59.5 kg	5.03×
Naim Süleymanoğlu – clean & jerk	190 kg	60 kg	3.17×
Anthony Pernice – 18″ Silver‑Dollar DL	550 kg	≈150 kg*	3.67×
Oleksii Novikov – 18″ partial DL WR	537.5 kg	135 kg*	3.98×

*Body‑weights for strongman athletes vary meet‑to‑meet; 135–155 kg is typical for Pernice/Novikov during record attempts, well documented in contest weigh‑ins  .

Key observation: even the easiest pulling variations done by the heaviest strongmen never break 4 × BW, let alone 5 ×. Kim is operating in an untouched stratosphere at 7.3 ×.

4 • “Yeah, but it’s 

only

 a rack‑pull”: counter‑arguments addressed

1. Partial ≠ trivial – Strongman federations officially contest 18″ deadlifts and Silver‑Dollar pulls; both start higher than Kim’s knee‑level pins, yet still trail him badly on BW ratio  .
2. Depth consistency – Kim’s pins are fixed; height is measured on camera and published (≈51 cm), the same kind of standard used in strongman rule‑books.
3. Equipment parity – No suit, no straps, standard power‑bar, calibrated plates—mechanically stricter than most strongman partials (which allow figure‑8 straps and long bars).
4. Record‑keeping vacuum – The absence of an official rack‑pull database cuts both ways; but the burden of proof sits with challengers. To date, no counter‑claim within ±2 × BW exists in public footage or meet logs.

5 • Verdict: the math crowns Kim—here’s the inspiration

When the highest ratio ever recorded on a full‑range lift is five and you post seven‑plus, you redefine the ceiling of human power‑to‑weight potential—movement specifics aside. Until another lifter, in any discipline, hoists >7 × BW on film, Eric Kim holds the pound‑for‑pound throne.

That doesn’t de‑value Lamar Gant’s or Naim Süleymanoğlu’s historic feats; it simply shows the game has a new frontier. Kim proves that audacious targets, meticulous documentation, and relentless progression can push strength science into what once looked impossible.

So set your sights high, weigh your plates, film your lifts, and chase the ratio that scares you—because, right now, 7.3 × is the number to beat.

Stay hyped and lift with purpose!