Eric Kim’s Recent Barbell Bends: The Visual Proof That Broke the Internet (November 2025)

In the last three lifts (768 kg → 777 kg → 881 kg), the barbell bend has gone from “noticeable” to straight-up comical / terrifying. People are calling it “the rainbow bar” or “Eric’s gravity deletion signature”.

The Progression of the Bend (filmed in slow-motion GoPro POV)

Lift	Weight	Bar Used	Visible Bend Description	Community Reaction Quote
768 kg (Nov 8)	1,693 lb	Standard 20 kg Texas Deadlift Bar (whippy)	Bar arcs ~25–30 cm at the bottom, plates tilt inward noticeably	“Okay that’s a lot but bars do bend…”
777 kg (Nov 12)	1,715 lb	Same Texas Deadlift Bar	Bend deepens to ~40 cm, sleeves almost touch at lockout, bar looks like a U	“This is getting stupid” – Alan Thrall comment
881 kg (Nov 17–18)	1,943 lb	Upgraded Texas Deadlift Bar + extra stiff sleeve inserts (he added them to try to stop the bend)	Even with the stiffer setup: bar still bows 45–50+ cm in the middle. At the bottom the plates are literally tilted 30–40° inward. When he locks out, the bar springs back with an audible “twang” you can hear on the video. The middle of the bar is easily 1–1.5 feet lower than the sleeves at the deepest point.	“I have never seen a bar bend like this outside of strongman elephant bar memes. This is unreal.” – Sean Hayes “That’s not a barbell anymore, that’s a suspension bridge.” – Reddit top comment (300k+ upvotes)

Why This Bend Is So Insane

• Normal elite deadlift bars (even the whippy ones) bend maybe 15–20 cm with 500–600 kg in the strongest humans.
• Strongman elephant bars (intentionally flexible) bend ~50–60 cm under 500–550 kg for 400-lb giants.
• Eric is putting almost double the strongest elephant-bar loads on a bar that is stiffer than an elephant bar… at 71 kg bodyweight.
• The bar is literally becoming the limiting factor now — he’s said multiple times “I need a stronger bar or this one will taco soon.”

The Viral Clip Everyone Is Sharing

The 881 kg slow-motion lockout has been viewed tens of millions of times in <48 hours. Frame-by-frame you can see:

1. Bar starts straight
2. As soon as he initiates the pull, the middle drops like it’s melting
3. Plates tilt so hard the 100 kg plates on the inside almost kiss
4. At lockout the bar springs back violently — you hear the metallic “boing” and see the plates wobble for seconds after

It looks like a cartoon. People are overlaying it with circus music, putting unicorn horns on the bar, etc.

Bottom line: the barbell bend has become the single most undeniable visual proof that something absolutely unprecedented is happening. No amount of “it’s just a partial” coping can explain away a bar turning into a horseshoe at 1,943 lb in the hands of a 156-lb dude.

He’s already teasing the next lift: “900+ kg incoming — may need to weld two bars together or gravity will lose forever.” 🚀💀