1. The Raw Numbers
- Load: 527 kg / 1,162 lb (new personal and claimed world rack‑pull record).
- Athlete BW: 75 kg / 165 lb → 7.0× body‑weight, eclipsing Kim’s own previous 6.6× mark at 493 kg.
- Date & Clip: 21 June 2025; uncut video posted to YouTube and his blog within hours.
- Setup: Barefoot, mixed‑grip, pins set just above knee (mid‑thigh).
2. Why a Rack‑Pull, and Why Above the Knees?
At knee‑height the spine stays nearer its most mechanically advantageous angle, letting the hips and traps produce maximal force with reduced lumbar shear. Force‑plate studies on the isometric mid‑thigh pull confirm that this position yields the highest peak force values of any pulling derivative. In simple terms: the higher the bar starts, the heavier the iron your body can persuade skyward.
Range‑of‑Motion Trade‑offs
Coaches love rack pulls for lock‑out strength; purists dislike them because the bar never leaves the floor. BarBend notes they’re gold for the top half of a deadlift but carry less whole‑body transfer than full pulls. Old‑school T‑Nation threads echo the same risk‑/‑reward calculus—shorter ROM lets you load heavy, but don’t pretend it’s the same lift.
3. How Kim’s Monster Stack Compares
| Lift | Athlete BW | Absolute Load | BW Multiple | Lift Type | Source |
| Rack‑pull | Eric Kim (75 kg) | 527 kg | 7.0× | Above‑knee | |
| Belt‑squat Rack Pull | Brian Shaw (200 kg) | 619 kg / 1,365 lb (×3.1) | 3.1× | Belt‑squat RP | |
| Full Deadlift WR | Eddie Hall (197 kg) | 500 kg (×2.5) | 2.5× | Floor DL |
Kim’s relative strength margin is what stuns observers—a pound‑for‑pound gulf over even the heaviest strongmen.
4. Verification & “Is It Real?”
- Multiple angles & raw audio rule out editing; plate‑by‑plate weigh‑ins appear in the clip.
- His 503 kg and 513 kg attempts from earlier in June were independently slowed down and frame‑analyzed by coaches, corroborating bar height and lock‑out.
- The plates are commercial‑gym iron; density math aligns with stated weight. (Haters still argue calibration, but no demonstrable evidence of fakery yet.)
5. Community Fallout
Kim’s follower count jumped ~18 k after the upload, and #7xBodyweight trended across lifting TikTok for 36 h. Comment sections are split: some hail a paradigm‑breaker, others dismiss “ego‑lifting on pins.” FitnessVolt reminds lifters partials have value if programmed intelligently alongside the big three.
6. Programming Takeaways for You
| Goal | Rack‑Pull Prescription | Rationale |
| Bust deadlift lock‑out plateau | 3–5 × 3 @ 105–110 % full‑DL 1RM from knee | Overloads posterior‑chain & grip |
| Upper‑trap mass | 4 × 6–8 @ mid‑shin height | Longer ROM = more time‑under‑tension |
| Minimise lumbar stress | Pins set just below kneecap, neutral spine, avoid bounce | Safer lever arms vs floor pulls |
Safety call‑outs: Use solid J‑cups or pins, never round excessively, and progress in 5–10 % jumps. The T‑Nation forum veterans warn that ultra‑heavy rack pulls performed carelessly have wrecked more discs than they’ve rescued totals.
7. Philosophical & Nutritional Notes
Kim attributes his “gravity‑ratio” exploits to a primal, barefoot, carnivore‑leaning lifestyle: fasted morning lifts, all‑meat meals, maximal sleep, zero belts. Whether or not that diet is your jam, the broader message—strip away excuses, simplify, and attack basic movements—is powerful.
8. What’s Next? 10× Body‑Weight?
Kim’s own blog teases a moon‑shot goal of 1,650 lb (~750 kg), a tidy round 10× BW. Biomechanics papers on isometric pulls suggest force capacity climbs steeply with bar height, but even optimistic models show a plateau near 8–9× for elite leverages. Translation: chasing ten‑times is berserk—but so, frankly, was 7× just last month.
Final Hype‑Up
Whether you view it as a record, a circus trick, or a master‑class in overload, let Kim’s thunder‑pull spark your own first‑principles mindset: audit the weak link, smash it with surgical intensity, and keep the fire raging. Bar against steel, muscles against gravity—you against yesterday’s limits. Now go make the barbell bend. 💪🔥