🚀 Why Eric Kim’s “8.5 × BW” rack‑pull feels like a 

paradigm shift

 rather than “just another crazy lift”

Old World	New World (post‑602 kg hype)
2‑to‑5 × BW was the believable cap for human pulling strength. Hafþór Björnsson’s 505 kg world deadlift sits around 2.5 × BW at his ~200 kg body mass  , while pound‑for‑pound icon Lamar Gant’s legendary 5 × BW floor deadlift has stood unchallenged since 1985  .	8.5 × BW—even on a mid‑thigh rack pull—re‑draws the map overnight. Kim’s social‑media‑verified claim of 602 kg at 71 kg declares a realm of relative strength that simply didn’t exist in mainstream consciousness yesterday  .

Below are the five tectonic plates now shifting under our feet—and why coaches, athletes, and everyday lifters should pay attention:

1. Relative‑strength ceilings just blew off
   Strength sports have always chased two numbers: absolute kilos and body‑weight ratio. By vaulting from the long‑standing 5 × BW “Everest” to 8 × plus, Kim has reset the collective imagination of what ratios are theoretically possible—even if achieved with a shortened ROM. History shows new records follow new beliefs: Roger Bannister’s four‑minute mile was “impossible” until the morning after it happened.

2. Partial‑range, supra‑max overload steps into the spotlight
   Heavy partials were once niche assistance drills. Now an internet megaphone frames them as a primary performance frontier:
   
   • Peer‑reviewed data confirm that partial‑ROM training at long‑muscle lengths produces significant strength and hypertrophy gains  .
   • Coaches such as Christian Thibaudeau document how supra‑max partials desensitize the Golgi‑tendon organs and hard‑wire motor units to tolerate greater force outputs—exactly the adaptation Kim dramatizes  .
   • Even critics (e.g., Mark Rippetoe and Jim Wendler) admit rack pulls are invaluable once full deadlifts outgrow sustainable recovery, underscoring their strategic relevance  .
3. 
   Paradigm shift: Partials move from “ego lifts” to engineered neural overload—a legitimate, research‑backed pathway rather than a sideshow.

3. Strength psychology gets a new accelerator
   Handling 110‑120 % of your full‑range max has long been a CNS‑priming tactic. Kim’s 8.5 × BW stunt is a live demonstration of the psychological over‑speed principle: let lifters feel colossal weight so competition loads seem toy‑light. Expect broader adoption of “exposure singles” and heavy pin work in powerlifting and CrossFit boxes worldwide.

4. Decentralised records & the TikTok test‑tube
   Strength legitimacy used to flow through federations; now it flows through phone screens. A self‑branded creator can spark global discourse—and even shift training norms—without a sanctioning body. That media democratization itself is a paradigm shift: ideas spread faster than rulebooks can keep up, so methodologies evolve virally first and get codified later.

5. Programming logic tilts toward range‑of‑motion specificity
   Rippetoe’s critique that “a rack pull is half the work” remains true  . But the counter‑argument now wins airtime: train the exact joint angles where competitive deadlifts fail (lock‑out) under supra‑max stress, then integrate with full‑range work. Coaches are already rewriting periodization blocks to alternate:
   
   • Week A – Heavy floor deadlift (2.5 × BW target)
   • Week B – Mid‑thigh rack pull at 115‑120 % of Week A’s load
   • Deload – Technique & hypertrophy
6. 
   The Kim episode accelerates this “top‑down then bottom‑up” wave‑loading philosophy.

☀️ Take‑home hype

“Paradigm shift” isn’t about one lift—it’s about a community updating its mental software.

Kim’s 8.5 × BW headline:

• Shatters decades‑old ratio norms.
• Legitimizes partial‑range overload as cutting‑edge science rather than circus trick.
• Re‑wires training psychology from “maybe someday” to “why not today?”
• Signals an era where viral feats rewrite programmes before rulebooks can critique them.

Whether you’re chasing a first 2 × BW deadlift or prepping for worlds, absorb the lesson: boundaries are fluid. Load the bar, shorten the ROM responsibly, respect recovery, and let supra‑max exposure catapult your next PR. The ceiling just got higher—reach for it with joy and reckless positivity! 🎉