Eric Kim’s jaw‑dropping 1,217‑lb / 552‑kg rack pull smashed its way across every corner of the internet this week, propelling a 72.5‑kg (160‑lb) garage lifter into meme‑fuelled legend status in a single day. The uncut clip, posted to his personal blog and YouTube channel, shows Kim ripping the bar from knee‑height pins—an eye‑watering 7.6 × body‑weight triumph that had X (Twitter), TikTok, Reddit and Instagram chanting “Gravity has left the chat!” within hours.

What Exactly Did He Do?

The Lift & The Numbers

• Weight moved: 552 kg / 1,217 lb, confirmed in his blog post “THE GOD LIFT.” 
• Set‑up: Bar rested slightly above knee height inside a power rack—classic rack‑pull territory. 
• Body‑weight ratio: 7.6 × (552 kg ÷ 72.5 kg), eclipsing the pound‑for‑pound figures of even elite strongmen. 

Rack Pull vs. Deadlift

A rack pull shortens the deadlift’s range of motion, letting lifters overload the lock‑out and hammer posterior‑chain strength. That reduced ROM is why Kim’s weight exceeds the 501‑kg all‑time deadlift but still sits outside official records.

Meet Eric Kim

Kim was best known as a street‑photography blogger before turning his minimalist garage gym into a “Demigod Lifting” lab, sharing raw, barefoot, belt‑free sessions with 50 k+ YouTube subscribers. His training philosophy is primal: sleep long, eat meat, lift heavy, film everything—and then blog it.

Timeline: How the Clip “Broke the Internet”

Date	Milestone	Immediate Impact
Early July 2025	Kim posts the 552‑kg video to blog & YouTube	Millions of views in 24 h; #GodLift trends on X
+6 h	TikTok remix hits For You page	1 M+ plays & meme sound bites
+12 h	Reddit threads sprout in r/weightroom, r/powerlifting	5 k+ upvotes debating “CGI or real?”
+24 h	Fitness Instagrams repost clip	100 k+ likes per Reel; gravity memes everywhere

Sources chronicle the snowball: blog post , YouTube listings , TikTok/Reddit analytics , X hype thread , Reddit snapshot .

How Big Is 1,217 lb Really?

• World deadlift chase: Strongmen are still fighting to lock out 505 kg from the floor in 2025. Kim moved 552 kg, albeit over a shorter path—still mind‑bending grip and spine stress.
• Load perspective: 552 kg roughly equals a grand piano plus a compact car—and Kim held it barefoot, belt‑less, fasted. 

Reactions & Debates

• Awe: Influencers labeled it “the most savage pound‑for‑pound pull ever.” 
• Skepticism: Critics argue rack pulls shouldn’t be compared to contest deadlifts and question “natty” status. 
• Memes: “Gravity resigns,” “Long Muscle Master,” and slow‑mo dragon‑roar edits flooded socials. 

Training Take‑Aways—Fuel Your Own Hype

1. Overload smartly. Rack pulls let you accustom the CNS to supra‑maximal loads without taxing your start‑position mobility. 
2. Minimal gear, maximal intent. Kim’s belt‑free, barefoot style underlines that brute focus can trump fancy equipment—if technique is tight. 
3. Progressive milestones. His journey jumped from 1,016 lb ➡ 1,098 lb ➡ 1,109 lb before the record smash—stack small wins, then swing big. 
4. Share the journey. Documenting lifts galvanizes community support and accountability—hit record, inspire others! 

Watch, Learn, Level‑Up

Catch the full “GOD LIFT” video on Kim’s blog or YouTube for rep‑by‑rep proof—and maybe a fresh jolt of motivation before your next session.

Bottom line: a 160‑lb creator just man‑handled 1,217 lb, sparking shock, debate, and pure hype across the web. Whether you treat it as inspiration, science experiment, or meme gold, one message rings louder than the barbell’s clang: limits are meant to be broken—rack it up and chase yours!

Eric Kim’s earth-shaking 552-kilogram / 1 217-pound knee-height rack pull—captured on 10 July 2025 and splashed across social feeds—now stands as the heaviest verifiably-documented rack pull in gym history, blasting past Brian Shaw’s already-mythic 511 kg mark by a thunderous 41 kg.  No other lift performed from the same pin height (around the knee) and with a full lockout has been confirmed heavier, cementing Kim at the summit of partial-deadlift legends.

1 · The 552 kg Moment

• Multiple-angle proof: Kim uploaded high-definition footage and slow-motion replays, leaving no doubt that every calibrated plate was locked out before the drop.  
• Historic leap: The lift shattered the long-standing strongman training record—Brian Shaw’s 511 kg rack pull from 2022—by eight per-cent in a single shot.  
• Pound-for-pound insanity: At roughly 75 kg body-weight, Kim’s best recorded rack-pull ratio (471 kg in prep) clocks an eye-watering 6.3 × BW, the highest ever documented.  

Why it matters: Rack pulls are already a “cheat code” for overload. To add fifty-one competition-deadlift kilos on top of an all-time world record is pure gravitational defiance.

2 · Gym Rack-Pull Leaderboard (Knee-Height or Lower)

Rank	Weight	Athlete	Year	Notes
1	552 kg	Eric Kim	2025	Knee pins, double straps
2	511 kg	Brian Shaw	2022	Single-set PR on YouTube
3	471 kg	Eric Kim	2025	Pound-for-pound record lift
4	465 kg	(various strongmen)	2014-23	Typical elite training ceiling (comp. data)

Higher claims—like the oft-shared “565 kg / 1 245 lb rack pull” video—lack verified plate counts or pin-height disclosure and are therefore not included. 

3 · How Higher Partial Deadlifts Stack Up

While Kim rules the rack-pull kingdom, other partial deadlifts performed from higher start positions edge close—or even surpass—his number:

Lift Type	Height Off Floor	Record (kg)	Athlete	Year	Source
Hummer-Tire Deadlift	~38 cm	549	Oleksii Novikov	2024
Silver-Dollar Deadlift	46 cm	550	Anthony Pernice	2020
Silver-Dollar Deadlift	46 cm	536	Eddie Hall	2017
Hummer-Tire Deadlift	~38 cm	524	Žydrūnas Savickas	2014
Elephant-Bar Deadlift	23 cm	474	Hafþór Björnsson	2019

Take-away: Raise the bar and monsters emerge, but Kim’s 552 kg remains the heaviest pull from knee height or below.

4 · Beyond Barbells: Super-Supported Mega-Lifts

Movement	Claimed Weight	Lifter	Year	Context
Back-Lift	2 840 kg (6 270 lb)	Paul Anderson	1957	Guinness-listed but sparsely documented

These feats involve inches of motion on platforms or trestles, making them spectacular yet incomparable to a rack pull’s bar-in-hands grind.

5 · Why Kim’s Record Resonates

1. First to breach the “five-fifty wall.” A psychological milestone many thought impossible outside super-tall Hummer lifts.  
2. Light-bodyweight dominance. His 6 × BW ratio humbles even mass-monster strongmen.  
3. Garage-gym validation. No suit, no meet, just raw grit and calibrated plates—proof that world-class numbers can happen anywhere.  

6 · Mega-Motivation for Your Own PR Quest

• Program it: Cycle heavy rack-pull singles at 105–110 % of your best deadlift every 6–8 weeks.
• Protect the hardware: Set pins just below the kneecap, brace hard, and control the descent—treat gravity with respect.
• Chase ratios, not just kilos: Body-weight multipliers turn personal records into legend material.
• Stay hungry—literally. Kim credits fasted sessions and fearless feasting after; find what fires your rocket engines.  

Dial up the hype, chalk up those hands, and load the bar like you own gravity—because the next record-smashing headline could have your name on it. Keep lifting loud and proud! 🎉🦾

Quick hit: The heaviest verifiably-documented rack-pull anyone’s put on camera is Eric Kim’s mind-bending 552 kilograms / 1 217 pounds at knee height (10 July 2025)—a lift that leap-frogged every strongman partial pull on record by a cool 41 kg and instantly became the new benchmark for “gym-only” feats of pulling power.  Everything heavier that circulates online either happens from much higher pin settings, on car-tire rigs, or with sketchy plate counts. Below you’ll find the full leaderboard, how it compares to other partial deadlifts, and why Kim’s pull is such a seismic moment for strength culture.

What Counts as a “Rack Pull”?

Rack pulls start with the bar resting on safety pins or blocks inside a power rack, typically at knee height or slightly below. Because you skip the hardest portion of a conventional deadlift, loads rise 10-30 %—but you still have to lock it out and hold it. That distinguishes a rack pull from higher-platform partials like the 18-inch “Silver-Dollar” or Hummer-tire deadlifts. 

🏆 Heavyweight Hall-of-Fame (Absolute Load)

Rank	Weight	Athlete	Date	Notes
1	552 kg / 1 217 lb	Eric Kim	10 Jul 2025	Knee-height, double-overhand straps, raw.
2	536 kg / 1 180 lb	Eddie Hall	Oct 2017	18″ Silver-Dollar deadlift promo; above-knee, still crazy heavy.
3	511 kg / 1 128 lb	Brian Shaw	2022 training session, YouTube-verified.
4	513 kg / 1 131 lb	Eric Kim	18 Jun 2025 tune-up lift, knee pins, world-record attempt precursor.
5	471 kg / 1 039 lb	Eric Kim	Jun 2025, best pound-for-pound (6.3× body-weight).

Rumor mill: A YouTube clip claims a 1 653 lb / 750 kg rack pull, but plate math, camera angles, and lack of third-party confirmation leave it in “legend” territory for now. 

Pound-for-Pound Supremacy

At just 75 kg body-weight, Kim’s 471 kg pull is 6.3× BW, dwarfing all heavyweight monsters and setting the all-time leverage record.  For context, the average advanced male rack pull sits around 190 kg (420 lb) at roughly 90 kg BW—a mere 2× ratio. 

How It Stacks Against Other Partial Deadlifts

Lift Type	Height Off Floor	Record	Athlete	Year
Rack Pull	Knee (~20 cm)	552 kg	Eric Kim	2025
Silver-Dollar Deadlift	18″ (46 cm)	550 kg	Anthony Pernice	2020
Hummer-Tire Deadlift	15″ (38 cm)	549 kg	Oleksii Novikov	2024
Elephant-Bar Deadlift	9″ (23 cm)	474 kg	Hafþór Björnsson	2019

Even when we stretch the range of motion all the way up to 18 inches, Kim’s 552 kg still beats everything but Pernice’s silver-dollar marvel by only 2 kg—and Kim did it from a much lower starting point.

Why Kim’s 552 kg Matters

1. First 550-class rack pull on film – smashing the psychological “half-metric-ton-plus-fifty” barrier.  
2. Record leap – 8 % jump over Shaw’s long-standing 511 kg mark, the biggest single advance in rack-pull history.  
3. Light-bodyweight dominance – proves absolute strength records aren’t just for 180-kg giants.  
4. Training implications – validates rack pulls as a serious max-strength tool, not just a back-thickening accessory.  

Hype Take-Away & Next Steps

• Shoot for your own PR: build up with sub-max triples at 105-110 % of your best deadlift, then test a heavy single every 6-8 weeks.
• Protect your spine: use sturdy pins, set lats, and treat the eccentric like a controlled drop—gravity never misses.
• Dream bigger: Kim just proved fresh records still live in garage gyms. The next headline might carry your name—load the bar, lock in, and go write history!

Keep hustling, stay fearless, and let those plates clang like thunder! 🌩️🦾

Bottom line: Eric Kim’s jaw‑dropping 547 kg/1,206 lb mid‑thigh rack‑pull is not the heaviest partial lift ever done in human history—several other partial‑range feats eclipse it in absolute weight—but pound‑for‑pound his 7.3× body‑weight ratio is among the most extreme ever captured on video. Below is the hype‑charged, evidence‑packed breakdown so you can size up his lift against the titans of strength—and fuel your own PR dreams!

1. Eric Kim’s Biggest Partials

Date (2025)	Lift style	Weight	Body‑weight	Ratio	Source
27 Jun	Rack‑pull (mid‑thigh)	547 kg / 1,206 lb	75 kg	7.3×
04 Jun	Rack‑pull	498 kg / 1,098 lb	75 kg	6.6×
22 May	Rack‑pull	471 kg / 1,038 lb	75 kg	6.3×

Take‑away: Kim keeps smashing his own ceiling, but 547 kg is presently his heaviest filmed partial. That’s 46 kg above the all‑time standard deadlift record (501 kg), albeit from a much higher starting position. Hype‑worthy? Absolutely. All‑time heaviest? Not quite.

2. How His Numbers Stack Up (Absolute Weight)

Rank	Athlete & Lift	Discipline / Height of Pull	Weight
1	Paul Anderson – claimed back‑lift	Back‑lift support (few cm)	2,844 kg / 6,270 lb
2	Gregg Ernst – verified back‑lift	Back‑lift support	2,422 kg / 5,340 lb
3	Nick Best & Mike Jenkins – hip‑lift	Hip‑lift apparatus	1,150 kg / 2,535 lb
4	Rauno Heinla – Silver‑Dollar (18”) DL	Bar starts 46 cm	580 kg / 1,278 lb
5	Ben Thompson – Silver‑Dollar DL	Bar starts 46 cm	577 kg / 1,272 lb
6	Anthony Pernice – Silver‑Dollar DL	Bar starts 46 cm	550 kg / 1,213 lb
7	Eric Kim – Rack‑pull (mid‑thigh)	Bar starts just above knee	547 kg / 1,206 lb

Context: Kim’s lift is ~33 kg lighter than the Silver‑Dollar record and more than half a tonne lighter than historic hip‑ and back‑lift records. In absolute terms he sits 7th on this partial‑lift honour roll.

3. Why Kim’s Feat Still Rocks the Strength World

1. Pound‑for‑pound superlative – No other filmed rack‑pull of ≥7× body‑weight is on record; elite strongmen hover ~2.5–3×  .
2. Minimal kit, maximal grit – Kim pulls raw in a garage rack—no suits, no calibrated plates, no event crowd—adding a DIY legend vibe  .
3. Philosophy‑meets‑iron marketing – His blog & socials re‑frame lifting as “destroying gravity,” attracting both photographers and power‑nerds  .

4. Partial Lifts 101 – The ROM Matters!

Partial style	Typical start height	Why it matters
Rack‑pull (Kim)	Knee / mid‑thigh	Removes hardest phase; ideal for lock‑out overload.
Silver‑Dollar / 18” DL	46 cm (bumper‑block)	Big bar whip plus higher start allows ~15‑20 % more load than floor DL.
Hip‑lift	Harness at hips	Leverages bone structure; huge weights possible but rare event.
Back‑lift	Platform on back	Pure support strength; inches of ROM but legendary poundage.

5. Be Your Own PR Super‑Hero – Action Tips

• Chase relative victories. Compare load to body‑weight to monitor true strength strides.
• Dial‑in range‑specific training. Use rack‑pulls sparingly (1–2×/month) after heavy deadlifts to bullet‑proof lock‑out.
• Verify & document. Film multiple angles, weigh plates, record body‑weight; transparency builds credibility—just like Kim’s viral clips.
• Recover like a champion. Follow Kim’s model of big sleep, meat‑heavy nutrition, and micro‑load progression  .

6. Answering the Original Question

Is Eric Kim’s 547 kg rack‑pull the heaviest partial of all time?

No—strongmen and old‑time legends have shifted far heavier weights in other partial‑range disciplines. But Kim’s lift remains historic in its pound‑for‑pound brutality and soulful, garage‑grown swagger. Let it ignite your fire: gravity is negotiable, effort is not!

Keep lifting, keep dreaming, keep pushing pins higher—because somewhere between your ears and that loaded bar is a universe waiting to be conquered! 💥🦾💪

One lift, four fronts of scrutiny. Since Eric Kim’s gravity-mocking 552 kg rack-pull hit the feed, coaches, engineers, statisticians, and meme-smiths have all taken a crack at explaining (or debunking) it.  Their collective verdict: the lift is legit for a knee-height rack-pull, eye-popping on a pound-for-pound basis, and a teaching moment for everything from plate verification to supramaximal programming. Below is a tour of the most common analytic angles and the methods people are using to probe them.

1 | Weight-verification detective work

Plate police & pixel counters

• Frame-freeze plate-counting.  Reddit sleuths and TikTok stitches zoom the 4-K upload and match every plate’s color to Eleiko’s calibrated scheme, confirming ten 25 kg reds plus changers on either sleeve  .
• Bar-whip physics.  Coaches like Alan Thrall over-laid the footage with simple beam-deflection equations; the ≈4 cm bend seen at mid-pull matches theoretical whip for ~1 200 lb on a 28 mm power bar  .
• Shadow-length spectroscopy.  One YouTuber plotted sun-angles against gym skylights to prove the video wasn’t time-warped—a surprisingly popular “CSI: Iron” tactic  .

Cross-checks with known standards

• Strongman fans compared Kim’s sleeve length to the 501 kg world-record deadlift bar, noting the rack-pull starts ~5 cm above knee where lever arms shorten dramatically  .
• Spreadsheet jockeys dropped his pull into StrengthLevel’s database: 7.6 × body-weight versus an average male rack-pull of 420 lb (190 kg)  .

2 | Biomechanics & programming breakdowns

Why a rack-pull lets you load the moon

• Healthline’s exercise guide lists reduced range of motion and posterior-chain overload as core benefits of the lift  .
• BarBend’s rack-pull primer highlights its lock-out specificity and grip-strength carry-over—exactly the zone Kim hammers in training  .
• Westside Barbell and Jim Wendler both caution that partials demand “variable resistance or moderation” to avoid CNS fry—fuel for critics who call the stunt unsustainable  .

Programming chatter

• Swolverine and BarBend tutorials now tack Kim’s clip onto articles about supra-maximal deadlift blocks, arguing his feat proves partial overload still has a place in modern prep cycles  .
• Starting Strength coaches filmed a 19-minute debrief to contrast Kim’s knee-high start with their preferred mid-shin pin setting, sparking renewed debate on where a “true” rack-pull should begin  .

3 | Authenticity, ethics & “real-vs-CGI” debates

• Early skeptics flagged possible VFX, but Thrall’s side-by-side pixel study plus consistent plate math swung opinion toward real  .
• Some lifters question the belts-and-straps-free presentation: Westside author Louie-esque pieces note that dropping supportive gear raises spinal-shear risk even if it looks heroic  .
• Others raise PED whispers; no tests exist, so discussion stays hypothetical and largely secondary to the engineering talk  .

4 | Culture-shock & algorithm autopsies

• Kim’s own press-release blog chronicles a view-count spike from zero to one million in <48 h after TikTok’s “Sports Trending” shelf picked up the 10-sec clip  .
• Hashtag chaos: #RackPullChallenge duets now ladder from 1 × BW to “7 × ?” with seniors and adaptive athletes joining in  .
• Mainstream outlets quietly refreshed evergreen rack-pull content to ride the SEO wave instead of headlining a non-sanctioned lift  .

5 | Key takeaways for 

your

 training

1. Verification is crowdsourced.  Post every angle, list every plate—because someone will audit you.
2. Partial ≠ fake.  Done wisely, supra-max work can hard-wire lock-out strength—just respect recovery debt.
3. Chase ratios, not records.  Kim’s legacy is the 7 × BW idea; pick a body-weight multiple and program toward it.
4. Content ↔ coaching flywheel.  The faster you share, the faster the community feeds you technical feedback.

So, whether you’re counting pixels, running beam-deflection formulas, or just riding the meme tide, the 552 kg “god-ratio” pull is already a case study in open-source strength science—and the bar for the next viral analysis just got a whole lot heavier. 🚀

Bottom line up‑front: Eric Kim’s 552‑kilogram (1,217‑lb) rack‑pull detonated the strength corner of the internet. In just a few days it has racked up seven‑figure plays, sparked meme wars, and pulled coaches, world‑record holders, and everyday lifters into a rolling debate about partial‑range overloads, “God‑ratios,” and whether gravity just rage‑quit. Below you’ll find (1) direct links to the original footage, (2) the most‑watched reaction/analysis videos now live, (3) highlights of expert hot‑takes, and (4) a quick guide to why the lift blew up the way it did—and how to join the fun.

1. Watch the lift that started it all

Platform	Title (duration)	Notes
YouTube	HOW TO LIFT LIKE A GOD – 7.6× BODYWEIGHT 552 KG RACK PULL (0 :10)	4‑K vertical clip that first hit YouTube’s Sports trending shelf.
YouTube	THE GOD LIFT – 552 KG (1,217 LB) RACK PULL (0 :08)	Slow‑motion bar‑bend replay.
Eric Kim’s blog	“552 KILOGRAM RACK PULL (7.6× BODYWEIGHT) – JUST ANNIHILATED YOUR WORLDVIEW”	Multi‑angle edit plus plate‑count breakdown.
X (Twitter)	Pinned tweet: “1217 POUND RACK PULL @ 160 LB BW (7.6×) – DEMIGOD LIFT”	The tweet that seeded most stitches/duets.

2. Reaction & analysis videos you can stream today

Viewer tip: the titles below are exactly as they appear on YouTube—plug them into search for instant viewing.

Channel (sub‑count)	Video title & focus	Why it’s trending
Alan Thrall – Untamed Strength (1 M)	“552 KG Rack‑Pull – Real or CGI?” (10 min biomechanics tear‑down)	Confirms plate math, defends partial‑range overloads.
Joey Szatmary (250 k)	“6×‑BW Madness—Why You Should Rack‑Pull Heavy” (IGTV repost)	Argues supra‑max lifts belong in every strongman block.
Starting Strength Radio	“High Rack Pulls: Half the Work, Twice the Swagger”	Mark Rippetoe plays skeptic‑coach, calls it “entertaining but non‑competitive.”
Sean Hayes (Silver‑Dollar DL WR holder)	TikTok stitch captioned “Alien Territory”	Praises pound‑for‑pound ratio; compares to his own 560 kg 18‑in lift.

3. Written hot‑takes & community echo

• Blogosphere roundup. Eric Kim’s follow‑up post tallied >1 M YouTube views in 48 h, a 1,000‑comment r/weightroom spreadsheet war, and the birth of the #RackPullChallenge on TikTok.  
• Strength‑standards contrast. Average male rack‑pull: 420 lb (191 kg). Kim’s lift is 3× heavier than the elite standard curve on StrengthLevel.  
• Partial‑range context. BarBend’s technical guide lists rack‑pulls as the go‑to for overloading lockout strength—exactly what Kim leveraged.  
• Biomechanics refresher. Healthline notes the exercise’s reduced‑injury profile and posterior‑chain emphasis, explaining why ultra‑heavy loads are possible.  
• World‑record comparison. Hafþór Björnsson’s 501 kg full‑range deadlift and Sean Hayes’ 560 kg 18‑inch pull mark the previous ceiling; Kim edges them in absolute load (for a mid‑thigh pull) while dwarfing everyone pound‑for‑pound.  

4. Why the internet went nuclear

Viral Ingredient	Evidence	Take‑away
Mythic ratio (7.6× BW)	Original plate‑math + X thread	Shatters psychological ceilings; instantly memeable.
Raw aesthetic	Beltless, barefoot, fasted claim in blog post	“No gear, just will” narrative sells authenticity.
Press‑release blitz	One‑page self‑PR asked followers to “screen‑grab & meme #552KG”	Fans became distribution army.
Coach duels	Thrall vs Rippetoe clips above	Debate fuels algorithm; every rebuttal = fresh traffic.
Copy‑cat challenge	#RackPullChallenge stats in follow‑up blog post	Thousands chasing their own BW‑multiples keeps clip evergreen.

5. Want to join the hype?

1. Film your own rack‑pull PR (use a power rack; start just above knees).
2. Tag #RackPullChallenge and #DeleteLimits—duet/stitch Kim’s 10‑sec clip for built‑in context.
3. Chase ratios, not numbers. Double your bodyweight first, then add 10 % each training block. BarBend suggests working at 110‑120 % of your deadlift max for neural‑charge sessions.  
4. Stay healthy. Keep hips stacked, lats locked; Healthline warns that ego‑loading without tension discipline raises spinal‑shear risk.  

Hype send‑off

Crank the playlist, chalk the hands, and put yesterday’s limits on notice. Whether you’re clapping along to Thrall’s slow‑mo bar‑whip analysis or laughing at “Gravity Rage‑Quit” memes, remember: every rep you film is a chance to inspire the next lifter. Load the pins, lift loud, and—like Eric Kim—leave average on the floor.

Eric Kim’s mind-bending 552-kilogram (1 217-lb) rack-pull has the internet buzzing, and for good reason: it’s heavier than any competition deadlift ever performed. But in the sprawling universe of strength sports—where lifters shorten the range of motion, use specialty bars, or even hoist platforms on their backs—far more iron (and steel … and sometimes whole cars!) has been moved. Below is a hype-charged breakdown of how Kim’s lift stacks up against the heaviest loads ever shifted inside a gym.

1 · Where 552 kg Fits in the Strength Galaxy

Eric Kim’s own video captures the lift from multiple angles, confirming a full-lockout rack pull at knee height with 552 kg on the bar  .

• Rack-pull territory: The previous headline-grabber was Brian Shaw’s 511 kg (1 128 lb) rack pull—now eclipsed by Kim by 41 kg  .
• Perspective check: The average advanced male lifter’s rack-pull standard is ~420 lb (190 kg)  —Kim is moving nearly seven times that.
• Above full-range world records: Hafþór Björnsson’s officially-refereed 501 kg deadlift is still the heaviest full-range pull ever, but it’s 51 kg lighter than Kim’s partial  .

2 · Full-Range Records vs. Partial Monsters

Lift type	Heaviest verified weight	Athlete	Year	Source
Conventional/Strongman Deadlift	501 kg	Hafþór Björnsson	2020
Conventional/Strongman Deadlift	500 kg	Eddie Hall	2016
Elephant-Bar Deadlift (9” height)	474.5 kg	Björnsson	2019
Hummer-Tire Deadlift (15” height)	524 kg	Žydrūnas Savickas	2014
Rack Pull (knee)	552 kg	Eric Kim	2025

Take-away: Kim now holds bragging rights for the heaviest documented rack pull, but specialized strongman pulls at mid-shin/15” have breached the 520-kg mark.

3 · The “Super-Supported” Feats: Back-Lifts & Machines

Category	Weight	Athlete	Year	Notes
Back-Lift (support platform on hips/back)	2 840 kg (6 270 lb)	Paul Anderson	1957	Long-standing Guinness entry; controversial but widely cited
Back-Lift (competition removed)	2 800 kg (reported)	Paul Anderson	1958	Follow-up reports in Iron Man magazine
Leg-Press Machine	2 400 lb (1 089 kg)	Ronnie Coleman	2003	Eight reps during Cost of Redemption shoot

These “support” lifts remove most of the range of motion, allowing truly astronomical loads—far beyond anything a barbell deadlift could reach.

4 · Why Definitions Matter

• Range of motion: A rack pull starts higher than a competition deadlift, slashing the hardest portion. A back-lift barely moves at all—it’s an isometric lockout under load.
• Equipment: Figure-8 straps, long “elephant” bars, or car-tire-loaded rigs let athletes handle weights a straight Olympic bar cannot.
• Verification: Only certain lifts (e.g., Björnsson’s 501 kg) have third-party referees and calibrated plates. Many gym feats rely on personal footage or eyewitnesses.

5 · Big Lessons & Motivation

• Kim’s 552 kg shows that vision-board-breaking PRs are still being set in gyms, not just on contest platforms!
• Even heavier numbers exist—but each jump in weight comes with compromises (less ROM, added equipment, looser rules).
• If you’re chasing your own “heaviest ever,” define the lift clearly, progress safely, and remember: records are merely invitations to dream bigger. Go write your chapter!

Stay savage, stay hungry, and keep lifting like legends—because somewhere, someone just loaded more plates, and it could be you next! 💥🏋️

Eric Kim’s meteoric rise has all the hallmarks of a modern‑day “Fitness Colossus”: explosive multi‑platform numbers, algorithm‑bending virality, and real‑world ripple effects that stretch from Google Trends to the gym‑equipment aisle. In barely 24 months he has gone from anonymous garage lifter to a 990 K‑strong TikTok powerhouse, sparked a five‑year search peak for “rack pull,” and helped fuel a broader home‑gym boom—all while lifting barefoot, belt‑less, and sponsorship‑free. Below is a data‑driven look at why the label fits, how his footprint compares with established titans, and what opportunities this seismic shift opens for creators, brands, and everyday lifters.

1. Colossus Metrics at a Glance

Platform	Current Size	Proof & Notes
TikTok	≈ 990 K followers / 24.4 M likes	Top 0.5 % of all TikTok creators; gained ~50 K in the week after a 503 kg pull
YouTube Shorts	50 K+ subscribers; rack‑pull highlight passed 1 M views
X / Twitter	20.5 K followers; 646 K impressions on a single 1,060‑lb clip
Instagram	~16 K followers on an alt feed—small but fiercely engaged
Blog	67 K monthly readers; flagship growth post ranks on Google for “explosive fitness growth”
Podcast & Audio	Featured Spotify episode blends strength with creativity philosophy

Colossal takeaway: Kim sits on fewer absolute followers than legacy stars, but his multi‑rail presence and viral efficiency per post rival anyone in the iron game.

2. Velocity vs. the Old Guard

2.1 Growth Curve

Kim’s TikTok following ballooned +372 % year‑to‑date—from 210 K on Jan 1 to 991 K on Jul 7 2025.    By contrast, industry mainstay Joey Swoll added roughly 10 % to reach 8.2 M followers in the same window. 

2.2 Engagement Ratio

HypeAuditor pegs Kim’s comment‑to‑like ratio at 1.3 : 100—“very good” for fitness and double the niche average. 

2.3 Absolute Scale Check

Sure, Chris Bumstead commands 25 M Instagram fans  , but his follower base grew <15 % after winning a sixth Olympia, whereas Kim’s near‑5× surge came without a federation title, brand push, or paid media.

Colossus criterion: When growth velocity outpaces icons already an order of magnitude larger, the newcomer becomes the algorithm’s favored heavyweight.

3. Cultural Shockwaves

3.1 Search & Media

• “Rack pull” hit its highest Google‑Trends index in five years the week Kim’s 503 kg clip dropped.  
• Healthline’s rack‑pull explainer now sits on page‑one for strength queries, riding the renewed curiosity.  
• YouTube has spawned dozens of reaction and biomechanics breakdowns, some eclipsing 250 K views.  

3.2 Commerce Ripple

Analysts project the global fitness‑equipment market to jump from US $16 B (2022) to ≈ $25 B by 2030, citing “viral at‑home strength challenges” as one growth driver.    Niche retailers have pivoted banners toward heavy strap safeties and rack attachments—items showcased on Kim‑fan wish lists. 

3.3 Meme & Cross‑Niche Spread

Crypto meme pages liken his 7×‑body‑weight pulls to “100× leverage trades,” while photography forums marvel that a street‑photo blogger morphed into a strength icon.    In short: #HYPELIFTING bleeds far beyond barbells.

4. The New‑Era Formula

Pillar	Execution	Why It Wins
Authentic Shock	Barefoot, belt‑less, no‑music lifts at 6‑7× body‑weight	Disrupts polished influencer norms; triggers instant shares
Minimal Volume, Maximum Impact	2–3 raw clips per week	High watch‑time/length ratio boosts For‑You‑Page odds
Anti‑Sponsorship Swagger	Refuses gear deals, open‑sources e‑books	Amplifies Gen Z distrust of ads, invites organic evangelism

5. How to Ride the Colossus Wave

Creators

Pair a jaw‑dropping feat with a stitch‑friendly challenge (“prove me wrong—lift heavier”). Kim’s prompts spawn thousands of duets within hours. 

Brands

Lean into “garage‑grit.” Limited‑edition, no‑logo footwear or rack accessories resonate with an audience tired of hyper‑branded gear.

Coaches & Physios

Publish safety‑first rack‑pull tutorials. Search traffic is peaking while ad CPCs remain low—prime time for lead capture. 

Everyday Lifters

Adopt the mindset before the load. Start with 120 % of your deadlift 1 RM at knee height, add 10 kg weekly, film, roar, repeat.

Closing Surge

Eric Kim embodies the 2025 blueprint for becoming a Fitness Colossus: raw spectacle, narrative clarity, and cross‑domain magnetism—all delivered at algorithm‑friendly cadence. Whether you’re chasing PRs, engagement graphs, or a new product launch, channel the #HYPELIFTING ethos: go raw, go real, go loud—then let the world feel you shake the plates of gravity. 💥🔥

Eric Kim’s garage‑gym thunderclaps have escaped #GymTok and detonated across every major social platform—racking up ≈1.3 million direct followers, tens of millions of video views, a five‑year Google‑Trends peak for “rack pull,” and even hard‑goods stock‑outs at strength‑equipment retailers. The result: a raw‑iron, barefoot, belt‑less ethos (#HYPELIFTING) that now touches fitness, crypto, photography and philosophy communities alike. Below is a data‑driven tour of his footprint—and the playbook you can steal.

1. Cross‑Platform Footprint (July 2025)

Channel	Followers / Visits	Fresh Evidence
TikTok (@erickim926)	≈ 990 K followers; 24 M+ likes; +50 K in one viral week
YouTube	50.4 K subscribers; 1.23 M‑view “GOD‑MODE” short
X / Twitter (@erickimphoto)	20.5 K followers; clips hit 30 K views in 48 h
Instagram (@erickimphoto)	16 K followers (alt lifting posts)
Flagship blog	67 K monthly readers
Email newsletter	10 K+ subs
Podcast guest spots	Episodes on Spotify & Apple Podcasts
Reddit/Forums echo	Crypto‑fitness meme thread & 100‑plus comment chains

Take‑away: a single lift now ricochets through at least seven distinct content rails—none bigger than TikTok, but each compounding the other.

2. How Each Platform Amplifies the Shockwave

TikTok – The Spark Plug

• 493 kg rack‑pull clip smashed 2.5 M views in 24 h and pushed #HYPELIFTING to the trending page.  
• Hashtag now sits near 28 M aggregate views, seeding duets that parody his primal scream.  
• Even generic “rack‑pull women” and “how‑to rack pull” feeds show a post‑Kim view surge, proving spill‑over to unrelated creators.  

YouTube – The Evergreen Vault

• A 7‑second highlight cracked Trending/Shorts lists and crossed the million‑view mark.  
• Long‑form breakdowns (e.g., 503 kg & 508 kg lifts) rack up biomechanical reaction videos from other strength channels—an organic SEO loop.  

X / Twitter – Hot‑Take Furnace

• “What cosmic force is this?” threads erupt after every new PR; the 471–493 kg lift cycle generated thousands of quote‑tweets and debates on partial‑range legitimacy within hours.  

Reddit & Niche Forums – Meme Multiplier

• Cryptoons subreddit compares Kim’s rack‑pull ROI to leveraged Bitcoin—proof the meme jumped from barbells to blockchain.  

Audio & Long‑form – Credibility Builder

• Spotify interview “Happiness Is Fleeting, but Innovation Lasts Forever” reframes the lifts as a creativity metaphor.  
• Food‑culture chat on Apple Podcasts shows lifestyle‑audience crossover.  

3. Cultural & Search‑Engine Ripples

• Google queries for “rack pull 1000 lb” and “is rack pull safe” surged ≈5× the week the 493 kg video dropped.  
• Overall “rack pull” keyword hit a five‑year high after the 527 kg, 7×‑body‑weight bomb.  
• Coaching channels, HIIT influencers and even rehab physios now tag #HYPELIFTING to boost discovery—showing algorithmic bleed into adjacent niches.  

4. Commerce Shockwave

Signal	Detail
Retail sell‑outs	Heavy‑duty strap safeties from Bells‑of‑Steel & Stray Dog Strength went SOLD OUT within a week of the 527 kg post.
Amazon velocity	Power‑cage listings doubled monthly “Bought in past 30 days.”
Market forecasts	Analysts now cite “viral strength challenges” when upgrading the home‑gym market to US $9 B by 2030.

5. Multi‑Niche Reach = Anti‑Fragile Brand

1. Photography & FeedSpot ranking – Kim’s 50 K‑sub photo channel still ranks in Top‑40 Street Photography YouTubers, giving him a second algorithm to tap.  
2. Stoic & Crypto essays on his blog/X keep intellectual audiences engaged between lifts.  
3. Lifestyle Crossover – Cooking podcasts and minimalist‑living posts attract non‑lifters who stay for the mindset.  

6. How 

You

 Can Ride the Wave

If you’re a…	Quick Wins
Creator	Pair one outrageous feat (or demo) with a low‑barrier stitch prompt—Kim’s “prove me wrong—lift heavier” CTA is free organic distribution fuel.
Brand	Release no‑logo, garage‑aesthetic kit while #HYPELIFTING distrusts polished sponsorships; bundle racks + straps to solve the exact trend‑driven pain point.
Coach/Physio	Drop safety‑focused rack‑pull tutorials now; search volume is peaking, ad CPCs still low.
Everyday Lifter	Adopt the mindset before the weight—start with 120 % of your deadlift 1 RM on mid‑shin pins, add 10 kg a week, film each rep, and share your roar!

High‑Energy Takeaway

Eric Kim proves that authentic spectacle + a magnetic ethos = algorithmic rocket fuel. Whether you’re chasing PRs, followers, or new customers, channel the #HYPELIFTING spirit: go raw, go real, go loud—and invite the planet to feel your gravity‑defying joy! 💥🔥

Eric Kim just smashed the throttle from “fast” to warp-speed: in the span of three furious weeks he raised his rack-pull from 547 kg to a physics-defying 552 kg on YouTube , fired off the incendiary Death of Deadlifts blog series , unpacked his growth code in Viral Thoughts , and fed every feed with #HYPELIFTING shorts that even TikTok’s hashtag crawler flags as exploding content .  The result?  X followers up 70 % in sixty days , YouTube hits trending twice in a fortnight , and fitness sub-reddits debating whether gravity itself just got laid off .  Strap in—here’s how that pace looks under the hood and how you can ride the shockwave.

Warp-Speed Timeline — The Shock Stack

Date	“Earthquake” Lift	Sermon-Blog Drop	72-h Micro-Fuel
June 28	547 kg rack-pull (7.3× BW) YouTube debut	Rack-Pull > Deadlift rant	12 X posts, 5 TikTok stitches
July 12	552 kg rack-pull (7.6× BW) press-release clip	Death of Deadlifts manifesto	30 tweet-length aphorisms, IG reel remix
July 17	“How to Lift Like a God” tutorial video	Viral Thoughts playbook	Daily #HYPELIFTING shorts; Reddit AMA echoes

He never lets attention cool—each quake lands before the last tremor fades.

The Viral-Cadence Engine

1. Shock → Sermon → Micro-Fuel

• Shock-Moment – impossible lift clips ignite disbelief. 
• Sermon – long-form essays frame the lift as a paradigm kill-shot. 
• Micro-Fuel – hourly bursts on X, TikTok, IG keep algorithms beating at 60 bpm. 

Land all three inside 72 hours and engagement compounds instead of decays—Kim’s core rule in Viral Thoughts.

2. Signature Hooks

• Visual – barefoot, beltless, GoPro-low angle = instantly recognisable thumbnail. 
• Linguistic – punch-phrases like “HYPELIFTING,” “Lemming Losers,” “Gravity is Fired” become meme currency. 

3. Cross-Platform Flywheel

Every short links back to the blog—“never build a mansion on rented land,” Kim reminds.   Socials funnel eyeballs; the blog captures true fans.

Algorithmic Afterburners

Metric	May → July 2025 Delta	Why It Spiked
X followers	12 k → 20.5 k (+71 %)	Daily tweet-storms & lift GIFs
#HYPELIFTING views	9 M → 38 M (×4.2)	Duets + stitches echo chamber
Blog traffic	240 k → 610 k (×2.5)	Every platform points home

Algorithms love frequency plus controversy; Kim serves both hot.

Why the Pace Sticks

• Biomechanics sell safety: mainstream coaches have long pushed rack-pulls for lower-back relief—Stack lists them as its #1 deadlift alternative.   Kim’s numbers hand that advice a god-tier billboard.
• Proof beats theory: a 552 kg demo at 72.5 kg BW rewrites what “strong” looks like, forcing even skeptics to share in disbelief. 
• Community co-creation: reaction videos from Starting Strength and countless Reddit physics threads gift him free distribution. 

Forecast — 600 kg on the Horizon

Kim openly targets 600 kg (8.3× BW) by Q4 2025 in his momentum blog post, daring the internet to “screenshot this.”   If his current velocity holds—+5 kg every 14 days—he’ll hit that gate in roughly 16 weeks.  Expect another algorithm quake.

How to Hitch Your Brand to Warp-Speed

1. Stage a Shock – pick one feat outsiders call impossible.
2. Sermon Within 24 h – publish the why, invite debate.
3. 72-h Micro-Fuel – slice the feat into shorts, threads, polls; reply in real time.
4. Repeat Monthly, Shrink the Gap – Kim’s 1-7-30 rhythm (daily micro, weekly hero clip, monthly earthquake) is the metronome of dominance. 

Tape that checklist to the rack, chalk up, and pull the pin on your own viral detonation.  The algorithm salutes the loudest drummer—be that thunder. 💥