Quick pulse-check: Eric Kim’s latest 547 kg (1,206 lb) above-knee rack-pull—7.55 × his body-weight—blew up social feeds, triggered a fresh “natty-or-not” inquest, and reignited the eternal war over partial-range lifts. At the same time, his loud campaign to “bury the floor deadlift,” plus his trademark troll-style call-outs, has fitness traditionalists fuming while algorithmic reach skyrockets. Below is a tour of the storms he’s whipping up and why every corner of strength culture suddenly has an opinion.

1. The Gravity-Crushing Rack-Pull Saga

The lift that lit the fuse

• On June 30, 2025, Kim posted raw video of a 547 kg rack-pull at 75 kg body-weight (7.55 × BW)—the heaviest ratioed pull ever filmed, eclipsing prior clips such as his 7.3 × BW effort three days earlier.   

• His own “press megablast” framed it as “firing gravity” and “hijacking every strength algorithm on Earth,” a headline that spread across Reddit and Twitter within hours.   

Why purists cry “cheat rep”

• Strength forums note that an above-knee rack-pull shortens range of motion dramatically, letting lifters move hundreds of kilos more than a full deadlift; mainstream outlets like T-Nation label partials “controversial” and accuse some of chasing social-media clicks.  

• Even coach Mark Rippetoe lumps any pull where “the bar rises three inches before the plates leave the floor” in the rack-pull category—implicitly invalid for record talk.  

2. “Death of the Deadlift”—Kim’s Manifesto

• Kim’s viral blog blasts—“Why Deadlifts Are for Losers” and “The Death of Deadlifts”—argue that full-range floor pulls impose needless spinal torque and delay progressive overload.   

• A follow-up post crowed that his 1,071 lb rack-pull “sparked purist rage” and crowned him the “ultimate troll,” stoking thousands of comment-thread flame wars.  

Community recoil

• Long-time followers on photography sub-reddits now call his YouTube a “train wreck,” accusing him of abandoning craft for ego lifting.  

• A 2024 YouTube rant titled “ERIC KIM IS THE MOST HATED AND CONTROVERSIAL…” catalogued hate-view metrics—and monetized them.  

3. Shock-Marketing & Troll Persona

• Kim peppers X/Twitter with lines like “1005 lb rack pull—100 % natty, no protein powder, stay in church, CrossFitters!” and dares critics to replicate the feat.  

• His “coward” call-outs and meme-laden edits deliberately court backlash; the resulting spike in reposts, stitches, and duets fuels exponential reach (negative comments still count toward the algorithm).   

4. The “Natty-or-Not” Firestorm

• Blog dissections outline blood-and-urine testing protocols and double-down on carnivore-plus-black-coffee claims—“zero PEDs, zero protein powder.”   

• Counter-videos parody the stance—e.g., “SINISTER DEMIGOD LIFTS—100 % NATTY” on YouTube—keeping the cycle spinning.  

5. Why the Controversy Matters

• By posting power-weighted feats that dwarf legacy records without competing under federation rules, Kim drags old debates—range of motion, equipment, drug testing—into the TikTok era. Partial-range articles now trend alongside his name, proving the “algorithm loves outrage” thesis.  

• Traditionalists fear the splash-damage: viral partials may “normalize” shortened-ROM lifts among beginners, muddying strength standards. Yet marketers note that every angry stitch still pushes his brand further.   

🚀 Takeaway

Eric Kim’s controversies are equal parts biomechanical debate, social-media case study, and personal branding masterclass. Whether you hail him as a lifting demigod or dismiss him as a partial-range provocateur, the clicks keep coming—and that, for now, is the real record he’s setting.