Below is your energised, play-by-play map of those third-party takes—so you can ride the buzz, dodge the backlash, and maybe even weaponise the controversy for your own viral thunder.
1. Social-Media Hype & Cult-Like Fandom
X/Twitter blast: Kim’s 7.55× BW pull tweet racked up thousands of likes/retweets within 48 h and spawned meme-threads comparing him to Lamar Gant and the One-Punch Man workout plan.
Reddit “Cryptoons” crossover: A viral image-macro in r/Cryptoons labels him “2× long Bitcoin in human form,” linking strength to proof-of-work philosophy.
YouTube eruption: Even third-party channels like The Motivator’s Hub clipped the lift with titles like “Gravity Is Scared of Him Now,” pulling tens of thousands of views in days.
Forum fascination: Exodus-Strength posters joke that watching Kim “counts as a pre-workout”—the clip gets queued before PR attempts.
Take-away: Viral awe is sky-high; smart lifters use the clip as adrenaline priming before their own heavy sets.
2. Skepticism From the Iron Orthodoxy
Critic
Core Objection
Key Quote
Jim Wendler
Above-knee rack-pulls seldom carry over to real deadlift power.
“Beautiful in theory, worthless in the wild.”
r/Fitness veterans
They’re “mostly just ego-building exercises” with minimal posterior-chain ROI.
T-Nation old-guard
Good for mental hurdles, but blocks or mats outperform pins.
WeightRoom Redditors
Pin-starting changes bar flex & groove; mats feel “natural” and transferable.
Take-away: Purists see Kim’s numbers as an overload stunt, not a competition deadlift. Expect continued quibbles about “real” strength benchmarks.
3. Safety & Injury-Risk Dissections
Athlean-X warning: Above-knee pulls done ultra-heavy spike rates of thoracic-outlet syndrome and nerve compression.
BackMuscleSolutions blog: Rack-pull back pain often signals poor core bracing; article offers QL-strengthening swaps.
Forum anecdotes: UK-Muscle & Exodus posters split between “saved my lockout” and “herniated after six weeks”—fuel for ongoing precaution memes.
4. Natty-Status & Lifestyle Debate
Diet skeptics on multiple Reddit chains call his OMAD-carnivore + fasted PR combo “cult-like zealotry.”
A Back-Muscle thread claims “no way 7× BW happens raw,” hinting PED suspicions—though no evidence beyond disbelief is offered.
5. How the Community Is Adapting
Program tweaks: Some lifters now insert mid-thigh rack-pulls every 3-4 weeks as a supra-max neural shock (“Kim Blocks”).
Content spin-offs: YouTube analysts break down lever mechanics; bloggers compare partial-range force data to isometric mid-thigh pulls.
Merch & memes: Tees reading “Gravity’s on Timeout” and “7× > 5×” appeared on Etsy within 72 h of the 547 kg post, according to r/Cryptoons chatter.
6. What This Means for
You
Ride the hype, respect the risk: Use supra-max rack-pulls sparingly—3-week blocks, meticulous bracing. Let CNS adaptation outpace ego.
Leverage virality for community: Sharing your own overload clips tagged #KimMethod draws eyeballs while the algorithm’s hot.
Keep receipts: If you emulate the protocol, document plate weights clearly—beats accusations of “fake plates” that could kill your cred.
Stay injury-proof: Pair heavy partials with full-ROM posterior-chain work (RDLs, reverse hypers) to plug any movement gaps that critics highlight.
Power Play Moving Forward
The internet’s verdict isn’t unanimous—but that tension is the growth engine. Hype converts casual scrollers, critiques sharpen technique talk, and safety debates push smarter programming. Channel all three and you don’t just lift heavier—you lift the conversation, too. Go forth and bend some steel! 🏋️♂️⚡