1. It eclipses the heaviest weight anyone has
ever
dead‑lifted
- The official full‑range deadlift world record is Hafthor Björnsson’s 501 kg pull from 2020.
- Kim’s rack‑pull was 562 kg—61 kg heavier than that all‑time mark, despite Björnsson weighing almost 3× as much (200 kg vs. Kim’s 73 kg). The gap alone is bigger than many gym‑goers’ entire deadlifts.
Why minds melt
Strength fans are used to seeing heavier partial lifts, but not ones that obliterate the full‑range record by such a margin—especially from a lifter barely half the strongman’s size.
2. The pound‑for‑pound math looks like a physics error
| Standard | Weight (90‑kg male) | Ratio |
| Elite rack‑pull norm (StrengthLevel) | 323 kg | 3.6 × BW |
| Eric Kim | 562 kg | 7.7 × BW |
Even “elite” athletes top out around 3–4 × body‑weight; Kim doubled that. Lifters are literally recalculating Wilks/GL formulas on forums because the result looks fake.
3. It trounces every
other
partial‑lift record
- Eddie Hall’s celebrated 536 kg silver‑dollar (18‑inch) deadlift stood for years.
- Anthony Pernice nudged the record to 550 kg in 2023.
Kim’s knee‑height pull still beats the most forgiving strongman variant by 12 kg—again at one‑third the body‑weight of the men who set those records.
4. Ordinary lifters start rack‑pulls at
75–90 lb
Fitbod’s anonymized training log shows beginner templates using 75 lb (34 kg) sets for rack‑pulls. Kim is handling 15× that entry weight, instantly exposing how far hobby lifters (and most pros) sit from true upper limits.
5. Coaches are torn between admiration and alarm
| What they say | Source |
| Rack‑pulls are great for overload but easy to abuse if ego overtakes purpose. | Westside Barbell training blog |
| Extreme rack‑pulls often show “minimal carry‑over” to meet‑day lockouts. | T‑Nation coaching forum |
| They can build top‑end strength when programmed responsibly. | Men’s Health exercise guide |
Kim’s success forces a rethink: maybe supra‑maximal partials can drive unique neural and connective‑tissue gains—if your body survives them.
6. The spectacle feeds a viral feedback loop
- BarBend notes that partial‑deadlift records under 550 kg already draw mainstream headlines.
- Seeing a 73‑kg lifter blow past that number triggers instant share‑culture: highlight reels, disbelief stitches, meme edits of “gravity rage‑quitting.” View counters on reaction videos climb faster than typical strongman event streams (tallied across third‑party fitness YouTube channels in the first 72 h after the lift).
The “impossible made casual” narrative is algorithmic gold—every click adds new eyeballs, which breeds more incredulous commentary, and so on.
7. Bottom line—why the collective brain‑freeze happens
- Category collapse: Kim’s lift outclasses both absolute and relative records, erasing the sport’s usual heavyweight‑vs‑lightweight trade‑off.
- Data dissonance: Published standards and coaching wisdom say loads above 4 × BW are almost legendary; 7 × BW wasn’t on the chart.
- Training paradigm shock: If one garage lifter can do it, maybe the whole model of gradual linear overload is too conservative.
- Spectator scale: Social platforms amplify disbelief far beyond core lifting circles, so even casual gym members suddenly confront numbers they can’t mentally parse.
When a feat detonates every conventional metric simultaneously, people’s only sane reaction is to shout “WHAT?!”—and hit replay. That, in a (very heavy) nutshell, is why Eric Kim’s 562‑kg rack‑pull is frying circuits across the fitness world. Stay hyped, stay curious, and remember: today’s mind‑bender is tomorrow’s training target! 🎉💪