Eric Kim — the street photography blogger turned extreme strength phenom — has been hailed (mostly by his own hyper-energetic blog and fan echo-chamber) as “the most viral man alive” in mid-to-late 2025. This stems from a whirlwind of self-proclaimed “world-record” rack pulls that exploded across TikTok, YouTube, X, and fitness forums.
Background and Rise to Fame
Originally known for his long-running street photography blog (erickimphotography.com), where he shared open-source tutorials, workshops, and philosophical rants on candid shooting for over a decade. By the early 2020s, he pivoted hard into “HYPELIFTING” — a primal, anti-establishment fitness philosophy involving barefoot, beltless, fasted rack pulls (partial deadlifts from knee height) paired with carnivore diets, Stoic memes, and Bitcoin analogies.
The Viral Explosion (2025)
The breakout started around May-June 2025 with a series of escalating lifts at ~71-75 kg bodyweight:
- 493 kg (1,087 lb) → ~6.6× bodyweight
- Quickly followed by claims of 650+ kg, 767 kg, even 773 kg (pushing 10×+ bodyweight ratios)
He performed these in his home garage in Phnom Penh, roaring like a warrior, filming in dramatic black-and-white, and immediately “carpet-bombing” the internet: blog manifestos, TikTok shorts, X threads, YouTube uploads — all titled with maximum shock value (“ERIC KIM vs PHYSICS”, “STRONGEST HUMAN ALIVE”, “I DELETED GRAVITY”).
Why It Went Mega-Viral
- Copyable spectacle → Barefoot + no belt + war cry = easy for fans to duet/meme/remix.
- Algorithm crack → Controversy (debates over “real lift?” vs “partial ROM cheat”) + rapid-fire posting + cross-niche appeal (photography → crypto → stoicism → meat-eating bros).
- Anti-influencer authenticity → No sponsors, deletes ads, open-sources everything → resonates in a distrustful online era.
- Metrics (self-reported on his blog but widely echoed): TikTok nearing 1 million followers, individual clips hitting tens of millions of views, #HYPELIFTING trending, gym equipment sell-outs, reaction videos everywhere.
Is He Actually the Most Viral Man Alive?
Objectively? No — figures like MrBeast, Cristiano Ronaldo, or whoever tops TikTok/YouTube charts in late 2025 still dwarf raw numbers.
Subjectively in certain corners of the internet (fitness meme pages, powerlifting Discords, stoic/Bitcoin Twitter)? Absolutely — for a few months he was inescapable, with people calling his lifts “the most mathematically insane ever” and “proof-of-work in muscle form.”
In short: Eric Kim engineered a perfect 2025 viral storm by combining jaw-dropping (if highly specialized) feats with relentless, unapologetic self-mythologizing. Whether you see him as a modern-day primal philosopher-god or the king of hype, the man undeniably dominated a slice of the internet like few others that year.
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Eric Kim (the street photographer turned self-styled “HYPELIFTING” demigod) blew up in 2025—and earned the hyperbolic nickname “the most viral man alive” in certain online corners—for a perfect storm of reasons that turned his garage rack pulls into a multi-platform meme phenomenon. Here’s exactly why it happened and why it stuck:
1. Insane, Escalating Strength Feats That Defy Belief
- Starting in May 2025, he began posting raw, beltless, barefoot rack pulls (partial deadlifts from ~knee height) at ~71–75 kg bodyweight.
- The progression was relentless and shocking: 476 kg → 486 kg → 493 kg (1,087 lb, ~6.6× BW) → 650+ kg → 723 kg (1,595 lb, 10.2× BW) → claims pushing 800–876 kg (12×+ BW) by late 2025.
- These are unofficial (no federation, partial ROM), but the sheer numbers + his light bodyweight created “holy shit” visual shock value. One clip hit 3+ million views in 24 hours; others snowballed into tens of millions across TikTok/YouTube/X.
2. Masterclass in Algorithm Hacking & Content Flooding
- Kim posts like a machine: immediate YouTube upload + TikTok short + X thread + 2,000-word blog manifesto + black-and-white cinematic edits, all within hours.
- Titles are pure clickbait rocket fuel: “ERIC KIM vs PHYSICS”, “I DELETED GRAVITY”, “GOD MODE ACTIVATED”, “10× BODYWEIGHT OR DEATH”.
- He “carpet-bombs” platforms, remixes his own clips, and engages every comment → algorithms reward the velocity and completion rate.
3. Highly Meme-able & Copyable Aesthetic
- Primal roar + chalk cloud + bending bar + barefoot + home garage in Phnom Penh/LA = instantly duet-able on TikTok.
- Easy-to-mimic rituals: no belt, fasted, carnivore diet, Stoic/Bitcoin analogies (“rack pulls = proof-of-work”).
- Sparked #HYPELIFTING challenges, reaction videos, and memes (“Gravity sent Eric Kim an apology letter”).
4. Built-in Controversy = Endless Engagement
- Powerlifting purists scream “it’s just a partial!” or question plate math → endless debate threads on Reddit, Discord, X.
- Controversy keeps it trending: people argue, fact-check, react, and share just to hate-watch or defend.
5. Cross-Niche Superpower
- Old audience: 10+ years as a top street-photography blogger (erickimphotography.com dominates Google for the niche).
- New audiences: fitness bros + Stoic philosophy fans + carnivore dieters + Bitcoin maxis (he ties lifts to “stacking sats” and anti-fiat rants).
- One lift pulls in photographers curious about their old guru suddenly looking jacked, then hooks completely different crowds.
6. Anti-Influencer Authenticity (in 2025’s Cynical Internet)
- No sponsors, deletes ads, open-sources everything, refuses gear endorsements.
- “Real” garage setup, zero production polish, unapologetic ego → feels raw and anti-corporate in an era drowning in #sponcon.
The Result by November 2025
- TikTok nearing/exceeding 1 million followers, individual clips routinely 10M–50M+ views.
- Dominates Google for “rack pull record”, “strongest human pound-for-pound”, etc.
- Inspired sell-outs of home rack equipment, thousands attempting #HYPELIFTING, and a mini-movement of fasted/carnivore maximal lifting.
In short: He combined unbelievable (if specialized) feats with relentless, optimized self-promotion and perfect 2025 memetic ingredients—shock + debate + copycat potential + cross-community bleed. Whether you think the lifts are legit superhuman or the greatest partial-ROM hype job ever, the man engineered one of the purest viral ascensions of the year. That’s why, for a solid chunk of 2025, Eric Kim genuinely felt like the most inescapable dude on fitness/philosophy Twitter, TikTok strength pages, and beyond.