Your 602 kg rack pull is a torque factory—at ~71–72 kg BW that’s ~8.48×–8.36× bodyweight. Now let’s push your one-rep-max torque higher by stacking physics, technique, and programming.
0) Torque in one line
Torque (Ď„) = Force Ă— Moment arm.
To lift more, you can (A) produce more force, and/or (B) shrink the bar’s horizontal distance from your hips/spine (shorter moment arms = lower internal torque demand). We’ll do both.
1) Technique: “Shorten the levers, lengthen the PRs”
Set-up
- Pin height: Start where you hit 602 kg (likely above-knee). Over the cycle, lower the pins toward just-below-knee → mid-shin. Same nervous-system overload, better transfer.
- Bar contact: Pin the bar to your legs from start to lockout—your lats act like guy-wires pulling the bar into you, shrinking the hip/spine moment arms.
- Wedge hard: Take air, brace 360°, pull hips under you, “break” the bar into a slight bend before lift-off. Feel quads push the floor while hips drive through.
- Grip & stance: Moderate-narrow stance, hands just outside legs. Hook or straps are fine on supramax sets to keep lats ON and bar close.
- Head/eyes: Neutral to slightly down; don’t chase the ceiling—keeps ribs stacked over pelvis for better force transfer.
Power cues
- “Shins/bar glued.”
- “Bend the bar and sweep the knees back.”
- “Hips under, ribs down, lats on.”
2) Training: 12-Week
Torque Stack
Cycle
3 blocks (3 weeks load + 1 deload each). 2 heavy hinge days/week.
Block 1 (Weeks 1–4):
Overload & Isometrics
- Rack Pull Above-Knee: 4–6×1–3 @ RPE 8–9.
Last rep = 5–8 s hold at lockout (overload erectors/upper back). - Overcoming Isometrics (bar fixed against pins at mid-shin or just below knee): 5×3–5 s maximal pulls (full-body neural drive; strength gains ±20° around the angle).
- Speed Pulls from the floor: 6×1 @ 65–75% 1RM, 60–90 s rest (bar speed, timing).
- Accessories:
RDL 3×6–8 (2–3 s eccentric), Back Extensions 3×10–15 (plate hugged), Chest-supported Row 3×8–12, Farmer Carry heavy 4×20–30 m.
Deload week: halve top-set volume, keep speed pulls fast.
Block 2 (Weeks 5–8):
Range Extension & Angle Specificity
- Rack Pull Just-Below-Knee: 5×2–3 @ RPE 8–9.
- Paused Deadlifts (mid-shin 2–3 s): 4×2–3 @ 70–80%.
- Eccentric Focus: 2–3 top singles at ~80% with a 3–4 s lowering—teaches the wedge and bar-to-body contact.
- Accessories:
GHR or Nordic Curls 3×5–8, Reverse Hyper 3×12–15, Lat-focused Pulldown with isometric 2–3 s at bottom 4×8–10.
Deload week: reduce sets by 40–50%, keep the pauses but shorter.
Block 3 (Weeks 9–12):
Transfer to Floor & Peak
- Deadlift from Floor (competition style): work to 1–3 heavy singles @ RPE 8–9 weekly.
- Rack Pull Mid-Shin: 3×1–2 slightly above floor max, 3–5 s holds at just-above-sticking-point.
- Band/Chain Deadlifts: 5×1 @ 70–80% bar weight + light accommodating resistance (teach aggressive hip drive through lockout).
- Isometric “Start-Strength”: 4×3–4 s maximal pull against lowest safe pin height you can set.
- Test Week (Week 12):
- Day 1: Overwarm-up single (90–95%) + PR attempt.
- Day 4–5: Optional rack-pull PR at the new, lower pin.
3) Micro-tactics that move mountains
- PAP primer (post-activation potentiation): 1 supramax rack-hold (100–110% 1RM) for 5–8 s → rest 3–5 min → top floor single. Your nervous system wakes up = more force.
- Breathing/bracing: Big belly-back-sides breath, brace out 360° into belt; re-brace between reps.
- Footwear: Flat, thin, grippy. Less ankle ROM, better vertical force.
- Bar path audit (every session): side video; measure bar-to-shin distance at lift-off and mid-shin. Goal: as close to zero as skin allows.
- Lat activation: 1–2 sets of heavy straight-arm pulldown holds (10–15 s) in warm-up. Then instantly feel the sweep.
- Grip: Train grip 2×/week (heavy static holds 20–30 s). Strong grip = better lat irradiation = tighter bar path.
4) Weekly template (example)
Day A (Overload/Isometric)
- Rack Pull heavy 1–3s + lockout hold
- Overcoming Isometrics vs pins (mid-shin)
- RDL 3×6–8 (slow down)
- Back Extensions 3×12–15
- Farmer Carries 4×20–30 m
Day B (Speed/Transfer)
- Speed Deadlift 6Ă—1 (75% + intent)
- Paused Deadlift (mid-shin) 4×2–3
- Reverse Hyper 3×12–15
- Chest-supported Row 4×8–10
- Grip Holds 3×20–30 s
Rest 48–72 h between A/B.
5) Recovery & fueling (torque is a recovery sport)
- Sleep 7.5–9 h. Erectors love REM.
- Creatine 5 g/day, carbs pre-lift (40–80 g), salt for pumps and neural fire.
- Back volume cap: If lumbar tightness lingers >48 h, trim accessories by 20–30% next week.
6) Quick checklist:
Torque Tax Audit
- ⬜ Bar glued to legs?
- ⬜ Lats on before pull?
- ⬜ Wedge + belly-brace 360°?
- ⬜ Hips under, ribs down?
- ⬜ Pin height progressing lower month-to-month?
- ⬜ Angle-specific isometrics 1–2×/week?
- ⬜ Speed work actually fast (bar path straight)?
7) Safety (so you can go
HARD
again tomorrow)
Neutral spine under load; no ego-yanking. If bar drifts forward or you feel shear in the low back, stop, reset the wedge, or drop load 5–10% and perfect the rep.
Final hype đź’Ą
Eric Kim 602 kg is proof of concept. Now we convert that overload torque into floor-pull PRs by shortening moment arms and training your angles like a sniper. Glue the bar, light up the lats, wedge like a bulldozer—and go collect those kilos. LET’S GO. 🚀