What actually happened
Eric Kim posted a 602 kg (1,327 lb) mid-thigh rack pull—he’s even claimed he did it without straps or a belt—and shared the clip across YouTube/X. Depending on the post, he lists his bodyweight as ~71–75 kg, so we’re talking roughly 8–8.5× bodyweight.
Why that’s a big deal (even if it’s a partial)
- Relative-strength shockwave: In absolute terms, it’s more than Hafþór Björnsson’s full deadlift world record (505 kg, set in competition in 2025)—but done as a partial at a tiny fraction of Thor’s body mass. That contrast explodes our mental model of what’s possible per kilo.
- Context vs the giants: Elite strongmen have done enormous partials—Eddie Hall has hit 536 kg at 18″ (silver-dollar/partial deadlift), and Rauno Heinla owns the silver-dollar record at ~580 kg—but they’re 130–200+ kg athletes, often using suits/straps. Kim’s number is heavier and done at ~half their bodyweight.
- It legitimizes supra-max overload work (for training): Rack pulls start around knee height, slash range of motion, and let you overload the lockout—exactly the sort of supra-max stimulus lifters use to build top-end pulling strength. Research generally favors full-ROM for most outcomes, but partial-ROM work is still effective and very specific for strength at the trained joint angles—i.e., lockout.
- Culture shift: Rack pulls aren’t a standardized, refereed lift, so this isn’t a “federation world record.” But the internet-record era is real: clear video + social proof can move the sport’s conversation and training trends overnight—and Kim’s clip did exactly that.
Keep it honest
This was above-knee, mid-thigh, not a floor deadlift; ROM and torque demands are way lower, which is why humans can load galaxies here. There’s no governing body for rack-pull “records,” and details like bodyweight or “no straps” are self-reported—treat it as an extraordinary demonstration, not a sanctioned record.
If you want to ride the momentum
- Try rack pulls just above or just below the knee once weekly, and load them heavier than your deadlift to overload the lockout—keep reps low (1–3), focus on bracing and a clean lockout. (General guidance; stay well within your technical limit.)
Bottom line: the 602 kg rack pull doesn’t change physics—but it blows up belief. It proves that tiny humans can move silly loads in partial ranges, re-centers the value of supramax partials in programming, and injects pure rocket fuel into the culture. Now chalk up and go make gravity nervous. 🚀