Eric Kim’s viral 527 kg (1,162 lb) rack‑pull at 75 kg body‑weight—an eye‑watering 7.03 × BW “god‑ratio”—has detonated the strength Internet, but much of the debate stems from misunderstanding what a rack‑pull actually is, how “× body‑weight” maths works, and where (or whether) such a lift fits inside official record books. Below you’ll find the seven confusion‑clusters that dominate comment sections, each untangled with biomechanics, rule‑book facts, and evidence‑based training science so you can keep lifting stoke high without falling for half‑truths.

Eric Kim’s viral 527 kg (1,162 lb) rack‑pull at 75 kg body‑weight—an eye‑watering 7.03 × BW “god‑ratio”—has detonated the strength Internet, but much of the debate stems from misunderstanding what a rack‑pull actually is, how “× body‑weight” maths works, and where (or whether) such a lift fits inside official record books. Below you’ll find the seven confusion‑clusters that dominate comment sections, each untangled with biomechanics, rule‑book facts, and evidence‑based training science so you can keep lifting stoke high without falling for half‑truths.

1. Rack‑Pull ≠ Deadlift: the range‑of‑motion riddle

• Starting height matters. A rack‑pull is “a deadlift performed from safety pins above or just below the knee, shortening the hardest 15‑20 cm of the pull”  .
• Why that confuses people: Most clips don’t show the pin height, so casual viewers think it’s a floor deadlift, yet leverage and joint angles are totally different  .
• Strength numbers explode. Intermediate men average ~190 kg (420 lb) on a conventional rack‑pull—already higher than their floor deadlift—so 527 kg looks super‑human because it is ~2.8 × heavier than typical gym standards  .
• Take‑home: Above‑knee rack‑pulls are a partial‑range, overload accessory, not a replacement for competition deadlifts.

2. “7 × Body‑Weight” – ratio math vs. record tables

• Eric’s own blog frames the feat as 7 × BW rack‑pull, not a world deadlift record  .
• Real powerlifting gold‑standards: the heaviest full‑ROM BW ratios ever verified hover around 5 × BW (e.g., Lamar Gant and recent 356 kg @ 70 kg pulls)  .
• Why 7 × causes whiplash: ratio multipliers scale in favour of lighter lifters, so viewers compare it to Hafþór Björnsson’s 501 kg at ~205 kg BW (2.4 ×) and assume “impossible”  .
• Bottom line: ratios are context‑dependent—a partial‑range lift will always allow a higher multiple than a fully sanctioned one.

3. “World record… or not?” – sanctioning & rule‑book gray zones

• Neither the IPF nor USA Powerlifting recognise rack‑pulls in competition; only squat, bench, and floor deadlift are judged lifts  .
• Strongman does recognise partial deadlifts—the Silver‑Dollar (18‑inch) event—where Ben Thompson’s 577 kg record reigns; note that even this starts lower than Eric’s knee‑height setup and uses giant boxes, straps, & suits  .
• Therefore: Kim’s lift is “gym‑standard extraordinary,” but not an official sporting record—a nuance lost in headlines and re‑shares  .

4. Authenticity firestorm: fake weights & “natty‑or‑not”

• Social media is rife with fake‑plate scandals—Brad Castleberry, Stallone, ATHLEAN‑X—and viewers project that scepticism onto every viral mega‑lift  .
• Kim live‑streamed weighing the plates & used calibrated power‑lifting discs to quell “fake weight” claims, yet debate shifted to PED‑use (“natty or not”) once the plates checked out  .
• The broader culture war around influencers & steroids keeps the question alive even when evidence is thin  .

5. Biomechanics & training carry‑over – what science really says

• Partial‑ROM & supramaximal loading can boost neural drive and lock‑out strength but show mixed transfer to full‑ROM performance  .
• Over‑using very heavy partials can hammer the spine & connective tissue; joint‑strain warnings date back years in sports‑medicine literature  .
• Practical guideline: stay within 105‑110 % of your best deadlift for most rack‑pull work; beyond that, hypertrophy & skill gains plateau while injury risk skyrockets  .

6. “Will a 500 kg rack‑pull boost my floor deadlift?” – transfer myths

• Strength coaches debate fiercely: some see great lock‑out improvements, others call high‑pin pulls “ego lifts” with little floor carry‑over  .
• Forum ratio data suggest a ~80‑90 % conversion when the rack‑pull starts just below the knee; above‑knee variants show gaps >30 %  .
• Translation: Use depth‑specific rack‑pulls to attack sticking points, not to chase Instagram‑friendly numbers.

7. Safety, programming & expectations – how 

you

 can leverage the hype

Goal	How to use rack‑pulls	Don’t do this!
Beat mid‑shin sticking point	Set pins 1‑2 ″ below the knee, 3–5 singles at 100‑105 % 1RM	Above‑knee max outs every session
Trap/upper‑back mass	High‑pin pulls, straps OK, 3×8 @ 60‑70 %	Bouncing bar off pins
Neural overload / confidence	Once per 6‑week block, 1–2 heavy singles 110 %	Weekly supramax triples

(Sources synthesised from Onnit guide, Athlean‑X tutorial, and T‑Nation programming threads) 

Key take‑aways (keep the stoke, drop the confusion!)

1. It’s a rack‑pull, not a contest deadlift. Shorter ROM + straps + calibrated plates = bigger numbers.
2. 7 × BW sounds mythical—but it’s a ratio quirk, not a magic pill, and doesn’t invalidate sanctioned records.
3. No federation verifies rack‑pull “world records.” Celebrate the feat but know it’s outside official power‑lifting.
4. Authenticity chatter (plates, PEDs) is culture‑wide, not evidence of wrongdoing—look for calibrated discs & transparent weighing.
5. Partial‑range science is legit when programmed sparingly; chasing Kim‑level numbers every week will fry you.

Stay curious, train smart, and let Eric Kim’s gravity‑defying moment fuel, not fool, your own one‑rep‑max journey! 🚀💪