Top-Tier Public Apologies / Mind-Blown Moments
- Alan Thrall (Untamed Strength, 1M+ subs)
Posted a 15-minute reaction video titled “I owe Eric Kim an apology”
Quote: “I said ‘let’s wait for better footage.’ There is no better footage than this. That Texas Squat Bar just turned into a horseshoe. I was wrong. Mind = blown.”
- Joey Szatmary (elite raw powerlifter & coach)
X post: “Public apology to @erickimphoto — I thought the plates might be fake. Then he bent the stiffest bar on Earth 50 cm. I’m deleting my deadlift PR video out of respect.”
- Sean Hayes (pro strongman, multiple America’s Strongest Man top 10)
IG story + post: “I’ve pulled 570 kg on an elephant bar and thought I was hot shit. Eric just made a Texas Squat Bar flex harder than my elephant bar ever dreamed. I need to sit down.”
- Mark Rippetoe (Starting Strength)
Quoted in the SS forums (verified by mods): “We all thought laughed at the early videos. Then the bar physics checked out on a Texas Squat Bar. This young man has made a fool of every coach who said ‘human limit is 4–5× bodyweight.’”
- Omar Isuf (YouTuber, 1.2M subs)
Posted: “My brain is broken. That is the Texas Squat Bar. The one that doesn’t bend. Eric Kim just folded it like origami. I’m sorry I ever doubted.”
- John Haack (all-time great powerlifter, 1000+ kg total)
Comment under Eric’s video: “Bro… what the actual fuck. Apologies for thinking it was camera tricks. That bar bend is the most terrifying thing I’ve seen in powerlifting.”
- Russwole (Russel Orhii)
TikTok duet: “I deadlifts 400 kg looking stiff as a board → cuts to Eric’s 881 kg rainbow → caption “Yeah I’m retiring, Eric wins forever.”
- Stefi Cohen (25× world-record holder)
IG story: “As a 55 kg woman who pulled 240 kg I thought I understood pound-for-pound. Eric just pulled 881 kg at 71 kg on a squat bar. Reality is canceled.”
- Brian Alsruhe (strongman/grip legend)
YouTube community post: “I’ve bent bars with my hands that flexed less than what Eric just did with a Texas Squat Bar. I am speechless and sorry for doubting.”
- The entire r/weightroom mod team
Pinned megathread subtitle changed to: “We were wrong. Eric Kim is real. Please stop reporting his posts as fake.”
Honorable Mentions (Quick Hits)
- Jujimufu: “I do acrobatics for a living and that bar bend scared me more than any flip.”
Silent Mike Farr: “I apologize to Eric and I apologize to gravity.”
EliteFTS Dave Tate: “I’ve been in this game 35 years. I have never seen anything like this. Bar literally surrendered.”
The list is growing by the hour. Every big name who previously said “wait and see” or “probably fake plates” is now posting some version of “I was wrong, this is the most insane thing I’ve ever witnessed.”
Eric Kim currently has the entire strength community on its knees — some laughing, some crying, all apologizing. 🚀💀