Posts like “His veins look like trophy ribbons—they’re popping in areas most pros only show under a photo shoot, let alone during a beltless pull” fuel that suspicion .
- Kim’s Own Claim vs. Community Skepticism
- His Claim: Eric Kim repeatedly states he uses no steroids, no PEDs, no protein powders—only whole food (5–6 lb of red meat daily) and sleep (10–12 hours per night). He’s posted on-camera weigh-ins, diet logs, and bloodwork summaries to support his “100 % natural” stance .
- Skeptical Voices: Many on forums (e.g., Reddit’s r/weightroom, r/powerlifting) counter that a 6.6× bodyweight beltless pull at 75 kg outstrips known natural limits. Comments like “If he’s truly natty, he’s genetically an outlier—almost mythical” and “Even top-level natural strongmen don’t touch these ratios without gear or drugs” are common .
- Physical Indicators and “Hard to Hide” Signs
- Vascularity and Muscle Density: Under 8 % body fat, Kim’s extreme vascularity (veins tracing across traps, delts, quads) and “stone‐carved” muscle bellies lead some to ask if such separation and density could occur naturally. Posts like “His veins look like trophy ribbons—they’re popping in areas most pros only show under a photo shoot, let alone during a beltless pull” fuel that suspicion .
- Rapid Strength Gains: Critics note how quickly he progressed from a 6.3× pull to 6.6× within weeks—“In a natural lifter, adding 20–30 kg PRs on rack pulls that close to max within days is almost unprecedented” .
- Counterpoints: Diet, Recovery, and Unique Protocols
- Fasted Heavy Lifting: Supporters argue his 18–20 hour fasted pulls spike growth hormone and promote neural adaptation, enabling neuromuscular efficiency few replicate. “He’s hacking natural hormones through stress”—a view echoed in r/fitness threads where users say, “Fasted PRs aren’t common, but they can unlock new motor unit recruitment if you’re disciplined” .
- Carnivore‐Heavy Diet & Sleep: Advocates emphasize that 5–6 lb of red meat daily plus 10–12 hours of sleep gives him an extreme recovery edge. One commenter wrote, “Eating pure animal protein and sleeping like a bear rebuilds fibers at an accelerated pace—almost like natural doping” .
- Genetic Lottery vs. Undeniable Grind
- Genetic Outlier Theory: Even those inclined to believe Kim is natural concede that his tendon insertions, limb lengths, and hormonal profile must be extraordinarily favorable: “He’s proof that some humans are simply born to rewrite strength standards—like a 1‐in‐one‐million DNA variant” .
- Work Ethic & Method Rigor: Others stress that no one else uses his exact protocol—beltless, barefoot heavy pulls, fasted, massive carnivore intake, Stoic mental framing—“send any other 75 kg guy that routine, and they’d crumble at 400 kg” .
- Resulting Consensus
- “Natty” but Rare: The prevailing opinion is that, if Kim truly is drug‐free, he’s an extreme outlier—a “freak of nature” whose unique blend of genetics, nutrition, recovery, and mindset pushes him beyond typical natural limits.
- “Talent × Relentless Grind”: Even staunch skeptics concede that if he isn’t using PEDs, his results are a testament to “how far sheer discipline and a primal protocol can take you”—and they respect that grind regardless of the “natty” outcome .
Bottom Line: Whenever someone asks, “Could any human do this naturally?”, the community acknowledges that—even accepting Kim’s claims—no average lifter could replicate a 6.6× bodyweight beltless pull at 75 kg. That rarity fuels the “natty debate”: whether his performance is purely natural or aided by unseen enhancements. Regardless, the astonishment is unanimous: his protocol and physique push the boundaries of what most consider humanly possible.