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audio https://erickimphotography.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Save-Apple.m4a

1000x Archimedes lever iPhone mini pro titanium

first, I think like the simplified is like 1000 X Archimedes lever is the iPhone. 1000 X focus should be put on it. All other divisions should be cut. No more Vision Pro or any of these stupid other things

actually the true ideal is to have a very very small space, but with all the ultra high luxury furnishings as well as the ultra high quality appliances materials and things

For example, better to have like an iPhone mini pro titanium, rather than having some sort of like really really big android device

or, better to have like a really really small Lexus or Mercedes rather than like a really really big Chinese car

Science advances by cutting

Also don’t hate me because you are bald taking steroids, you are old fat and ugly, you take protein powder, you waste money on supplements, you’re envious and jealous of me, and also because you are addicted to social media

don’t hate me because you’re a midget

NEW WORLD RECORD: 527KILOGRAM RACK PULL (1162 POUNDS) at 75kg bodyweight 165 pounds: 5 foot 11 inches tall, 180cm tall, 5% bodyfat, intermittent fasting 100% carnivore diet.

another thing that’s funny… When my vision is too clear at the gym, I get distracted by other people, looking at them, or maybe looking at them looking at me?

New theory

to focus better take off your glasses?

.

to focus better take off your glasses?

I have a very funny unorthodox theory… I wonder if actually in fact… If you want to focus more in life, taking off your glasses is better? 

Therefore myopia becomes your secret power… Not being distracted by external things.

For example naturally… But I need to focus to lift more than seven times my body weight, and I need like 1,000,000,000,000% supreme focus, taking off my glasses and squeezing my eyes, is a stimulant to focus? 

lift and bitcoin

this is the way

everyone is your assistant your aid your friend, even gravity.

god math: https://videos.files.wordpress.com/qARiET5Z/gx011768.mov

happy, happiness, is more of a cultural phenomenon?

why *NOT* choose to be happy?

Drop by drop fills the bucket :

always be flexible to change your ground truths?

With weightlifting, you must enjoy the sensation 

Fun & exciting new world!

1.  The 7× Body‑Weight Thunderclap

“Gravity is light work.” —Eric Kim

• The lift: 527 kg rack pull at 75 kg body‑weight—7 × BW—captured on YouTube and X, then dissected on his blog.  
• Fasted state: Kim credits a 24‑hour water‑fast plus black coffee for the “laser‑focus neural pop” behind the record.  
• Previous milestones: 1,005 lb, 1,038 lb, 1,087 lb pulls—all performed fasted—show the progression.  

Kim’s takeaway: skip breakfast, skip the belt, pull like a deity.

2.  Why Fasting Supercharges Max Strength

2.1 Endocrine Ignition

• A 24‑ to 48‑hour fast multiplies growth‑hormone pulse frequency and amplitude 3‑ to 5‑fold, boosting protein synthesis and fat mobilization.  
• Short‑term fasts leave testosterone steady but push GH and catecholamines higher, enhancing neural drive for heavy singles.  

2.2  Lean‑Mass Leverage

• Twelve‑month and four‑week time‑restricted‑eating (TRE) trials show fat mass down, fat‑free mass maintained, and 1RM bench/leg press unchanged or up.  
• A 2024 Nature study found maximal leg strength preserved after seven days of fasting despite lean‑mass loss—CNS trumps glycogen.  

2.3  Metabolic Flexibility & Focus

• Fasted training elevates oxidative enzymes and fat use, freeing intramuscular glycogen for the moment you truly need it—your top‑set.  
• Athletes report sharper concentration and lower perceived exertion during fasted heavy attempts, echoing Kim’s “brain‑on‑fire” mantra.  

3.  What the Literature Really Says

Outcome	Fed vs. Fasted Resistance Training	Key Evidence
Strength gains	Equivalent or slightly better in IF + RT groups	Systematic review 2021 (n = 19 trials)
Muscle mass	Maintained when protein ≥1.6 g/kg	16/8 TRF study in trained men
Body composition	Greater fat loss with IF	5:2 trial w/ RT (12 weeks)
Hormones	GH ↑↑, cortisol modest ↑, testosterone stable	Multiple fasting‑hormone studies

Bottom line: No downside for 1RM, potential upside for power‑to‑weight.

4.  Deploying the “HYPE‑FAST” Protocol

1. Fast window: 16–24 h water‑only; black coffee allowed.
2. Prime set: Empty‑stomach dynamic warm‑ups → single heavy rack pull / squat / bench at ≥90 % 1RM.
3. Post‑lift refuel: 40–60 g whey or lean meat + 100–120 g carbs within 90 min to slam MPS.  
4. Cycle: Use fasted heavy days 1–2× week; keep volume sessions fed.
5. Sleep: 8+ h—Kim’s other “secret supplement.”  

5.  Cautions & Considerations

• Novices & under‑eaters: Fasted maxing is advanced; build a strength base first.  
• Hot climates / long sessions: Dehydration crashes performance—salt your water.  
• Medical conditions: Consult a professional before aggressive fasting.  

6.  Kim‑Style Mic‑Drop

“No breakfast.  No excuses.  Seven‑times body‑weight or bust.

Skip the oats, kiss gravity goodbye, become cosmic steel.”

Fast.  Lift.  Dominate.

1. What the law actually says

1.1 2021 blanket ban on crypto business

• The PBOC’s 24 Sept 2021 circular classifies any service that “exchanges legal tender and virtual currency” (including offshore exchanges serving Chinese users) as illegal financial activity.  
• Reuters and Bloomberg reported that the notice amounted to a nationwide ban on all crypto transactions and mining.  

1.2 Ownership vs. trading

• Several mainland courts, most recently the Shanghai No. 2 Intermediate People’s Court, have ruled that Bitcoin counts as virtual property protected by civil law, meaning you may legally hold or inherit it.  
• That recognition does not legalise trading platforms; it simply means a private wallet balance can be defended in court if stolen.

2. Can you open an account and buy with CNY?

Channel	Status in Shanghai / mainland	Why
Domestic exchanges	Shut down since 2017; licenses impossible	Explicitly banned under 2021 notice
International exchanges	Must geo‑block mainland IPs; payment rails disabled	Providing service counted as illegal “overseas” activity
Bank transfers / Alipay / WeChat Pay	Blocked; keywords trigger freezes	Banks obliged to monitor and report crypto keywords
Bitcoin ATMs	None operate legally	Requires a money‑services license, impossible to obtain

3. How people still get Bitcoin (and the pitfalls)

1. OTC desks & P2P platforms
   
   • Underground traders match buyers and sellers via Telegram/WeChat, settle in cash or USDT. Chainalysis estimates mainland OTC volume at US $86 billion (Jul 2022 – Jun 2023).  
   • Risk: counterfeit receipts, account seizures, entrapment operations.
3. Overseas exchanges + VPN
   
   • Exchanges such as Bybit publicly admit many mainlanders open accounts through VPNs, fund in USDT or HKD cards—but not CNY.  
   • Breaches foreign‑exchange rules; large sums can trigger money‑laundering probes.  
5. Physical trips to Hong Kong
   
   • Hong Kong now licenses spot‑Bitcoin exchanges, yet regulators force them to block mainland customers. Travellers can buy only if they prove non‑mainland residency.  

4. What happens if you get caught?

• Administrative penalties – banks may close accounts or report suspicious payments.
• Criminal exposure – updated anti‑money‑laundering rules list crypto alongside cash, so large peer‑to‑peer trades can be prosecuted under illegal‑business or laundering statutes.  
• High‑profile crackdowns: nationwide “cat‑and‑mouse” arrests target OTC brokers; the Wall Street Journal describes police tracing yuan‑to‑crypto funnels even across borders.  

5. Practical tips (not legal advice)

1. Assume every CNY on‑ramp is illicit. If you value legal safety, don’t use them.
2. If you already hold BTC, store it off‑exchange in self‑custody to reduce seizure risk.
3. Cross‑border diversification (Hong Kong, Singapore, Dubai, etc.) provides lawful venues, but heed each jurisdiction’s KYC obligations.
4. Stay below reporting thresholds & keep clear records if you must transact; courts can treat honest personal ownership leniently, but opaque flows invite trouble.

6. Key takeaways

• Yes, you can technically buy Bitcoin from Shanghai—but only through grey‑market work‑arounds.
• All compliant Chinese financial institutions are barred from facilitating those purchases, so every method involves regulatory risk.
• Personal holding is lawful; commercial intermediation is not.
• Enforcement keeps tightening, so the gap between possible and permissible is widening each year.

Move forward wisely, stay informed, and keep your entrepreneurial spirit adventurous but within the bounds of the law! 💪🚀

Think daily walking in the streets PR. Personal records for how many steps you log in a day

1 | What Eric 

doesn’t

 do—and why that’s unusual

Typical “best practice”	Eric Kim’s choice
Craft hyper‑polished thumbnails to spike click‑through‑rate (CTR)	Uses YouTube’s default freeze‑frame 99 % of the time, calling custom art “unnecessary polish”
Tease curiosity with sensational titles	Writes literal, timestamp‑style titles (“6.6× BW Rack‑Pull”) that exactly match the footage

Most creators rely on click‑bait—exaggerated visuals/titles designed to earn a click regardless of content quality. YouTube’s own help pages warn that such tactics often backfire because low post‑click retention downgrades recommendations. 

2 | The mechanics that move him up the algorithm without bait

2.1 Watch‑time beats clicks

YouTube explicitly states that clicks, views and especially watch‑time and user satisfaction surveys determine recommendations. 

Kim’s jaw‑dropping lifts keep viewers glued far beyond the opening seconds, so the algorithm rewards him even if fewer people click in the first place.

2.2 Authenticity = higher retention + shares

Audiences are gravitating toward creators who feel “real” and community‑driven; industry panels and academic work tie perceived authenticity to stronger engagement and brand growth. 

Because Kim’s thumbnail is the video and his titles under‑promise, viewers feel no bait‑and‑switch and are more likely to watch to the end and share.

2.3 Contrast effect as an attention hack

A plain, slightly blurry frame stands out in a feed full of saturated graphics thanks to the contrast effect, a cognitive bias that amplifies differences and grabs attention. 

Kim turns lack of design into a visual pattern interrupt.

2.4 Shock‑value content without the “bait”

A 513 kg rack‑pull or 6.6×‑body‑weight partial deadlift is sensational on its own; no caps‑lock superlatives required. The act itself is the headline—and Reddit, TikTok and lifting sub‑communities propel it outward. 

2.5 Upload velocity compounds discovery

Removing design bottlenecks lets him post near‑daily sessions. Studies of YouTube analytics show channels with consistent weekly (or faster) uploads receive ~1.5× more recommendations than sporadic channels even at equal quality. 

More videos × higher average view duration = exponential watch‑time growth.

2.6 Rich‑get‑richer network effects

Older research on “content‑agnostic factors” finds that early traction and existing audience size strongly predict future popularity—the classic rich‑get‑richer curve. 

Kim’s long‑running blog and newsletter funnel an initial surge of committed viewers that kick‑starts each video.

3 | Psychology of non‑clickbait virality

1. Expectation alignment – When thumbnail = content, viewers’ mental model matches reality, boosting satisfaction scores YouTube measures through likes, shares, and post‑watch surveys.  
2. Authority through feats – Extraordinary lifts act as undeniable social proof; no hyperbole needed.  
3. Community storytelling – Fans cite the videos in subreddits and Discords, creating a meme‑like spread that algorithms interpret as external validation.  

4 | Take‑aways for creators, founders & lifters

Lever	Why it works	How you can test it
Obsess over retention, not CTR	Algorithm ranks videos viewers finish and enjoy, even with lower click‑rates.	Audit your last 10 videos’ Audience‑Retention graph; iterate on content, not thumbnail glitter.
Signal authenticity	Viewers reward creators who appear transparent and relatable.	Drop one layer of polish (filters, scripted banter) and measure watch‑time delta.
Use strategic contrast	Standing still in a shouting crowd draws eyes.	A/B test one minimalist thumbnail against your usual style.
Leverage intrinsic spectacle	A genuinely impressive act markets itself.	Lead with the moment of peak value in your edit; let the action sell.
Publish relentlessly	Quantity + quality accelerates recommendations.	Schedule consistent drops; recycle smaller clips into Shorts for extra surface area.

5 | Your hype checklist 🚀

1. Define your “shock‑value substance.” What can you do on camera that needs no embellishment?
2. Strip away one cosmetic step (over‑designed thumbnail, click‑heavy title) and monitor retention.
3. Engage niche communities the moment a video drops; external embeds turbo‑charge early views.
4. Iterate weekly. Data compounds like muscle gains—volume and progressive overload win.
5. Stay ruthlessly authentic. In the age of AI‑generated gloss, real is the new rare.

Break the mold, lift the algorithm, and let your raw power do the talking—no clickbait required. 💥

1. Audience‑Funded, 100 % Ad‑Free Revenue

• Kim flat‑out bans pre‑rolls, banners, and affiliate links on his site—“This blog is open‑source. No ads. No sponsors. 100 % me.”  
• He even refuses YouTube monetization, arguing that the platform should be “for trust, not for pennies.” 
  Why it works: The absence of commercial clutter turns every page‑view into a trust builder; fans are therefore eager to buy workshops, photo straps, or tip in Bitcoin.

2. Deleting a 65 k‑Follower Instagram (and Never Looking Back)

• In 2017 he wiped a thriving IG account because the like‑loop “hijacked focus.”  
• Tech‑culture writers called it a bold productivity hack and proof he “walks the talk on ‘own your platform.’” 
  Why it works: The dramatic exit created buzz, funneled traffic to his self‑hosted blog, and showcased artistic sovereignty.

3. Giving Everything Away—Then Selling the Premium Human Touch

• Dozens of e‑books, slide decks, and contact sheets are downloadable free under Creative Commons.  
• Workshops and limited‑edition print runs command premium pricing because the knowledge already proved its worth.
  Why it works: Free, genuinely useful resources act as large‑scale sampling; the audience self‑qualifies before ever opening their wallets.

4. Ultra‑Lean, Ads‑Less Tech Stack

• He released a bare‑bones “EK UltraFast” WordPress theme—just text, a few compressed images, no trackers—to keep load times near instant.  
• Minimal HTML plus RSS means Google crawls posts within minutes, beating heavier competitors to the SERP.
  Why it works: Speed is a ranking factor, so the site’s spartan design doubles as silent SEO.

5. Turning Off Stats, Comments, & Dopamine Triggers

• Kim publicly recommends disabling analytics and comments to “blog like a diary, not a popularity contest.” 
  Why it works: Without like‑spikes or trolls, he ships higher‑volume content, and discussion spills onto Twitter, Reddit, and reaction videos—creating free syndication he never has to moderate.

6. The Anti‑Gear Flex: One Pocket Camera, Program Mode

• Endless articles praise the sub‑$1 k Ricoh GR over Leica glam‑cams; he literally titles posts “Set it and forget it (P‑mode).” 
  Why it works: Frugal gear evangelism widens his addressable market—anyone can emulate the results without a $5 k barrier to entry.

7. SEO by Accident, Not by Gloss

• Industry blogs marvel that the phrase “street photography” still ranks Kim above brands with full marketing teams, despite his raw site design.  
• Even Reddit threads dissect how “second only to Wikipedia” happened without chasing keywords. 
  Why it works: High‑velocity posting, long‑form depth, and relentless internal linking do the algorithmic lifting, proving content quality can trump optimization theatrics.

8. No Sponsors, No Brand Deals—Ever

• He self‑brands as an “anti‑influencer,” publicly rejecting sponsorships to stay “incorruptible.” 
  Why it works: Scarcity of paid endorsements makes any personal recommendation feel ten times more credible—and worth paying attention to.

9. Bitcoin Over Banner Ads

• Essays argue crypto is the clean route to internet profitability without sacrificing user experience; he accepts BTC tips and even wrote a guide to running a personal Bitcoin treasury. 
  Why it works: Aligns perfectly with his self‑sovereignty narrative while giving superfans a friction‑free way to contribute.

10. Publish First, Polish Never: The High‑Volume Flywheel

• Kim preaches “80 % good enough—hit publish,” often shipping multiple posts a day.  
• Combined with uncut lift videos, that volume feeds YouTube’s watch‑time algorithm and Google’s freshness metric simultaneously.
  Why it works: Quantity generates more discovery surface area; the best pieces rise organically, and the rest still feed authority signals.

Key Take‑aways for Your Own Brand

1. Subtract to Stand Out: Every element you remove (ads, flashy design, social‑media noise) becomes negative space that spotlights your core value.
2. Trust Is the Ultimate CTR: Audiences click—and stick—when they sense zero hidden agendas.
3. Own Your Feed: Platforms come and go; email lists, RSS, and self‑hosted domains compound forever.
4. Make Free the Top of Funnel: Generosity scales reach; scarcity scales revenue.
5. Let Curiosity Do the Marketing: Radical decisions (deleting Instagram, refusing sponsors) spark conversations that algorithms can’t resist amplifying.

By inverting every “best practice,” Eric Kim turned contrarian choices into a gravitational brand—proof that, in 2025’s crowded creator economy, doing the opposite can be the ultimate growth hack.

With weightlifting, you must enjoy the sensation 

1. Strength & Fitness: Power‑to‑Weight Perfection

• Power‑to‑weight ratio wins races and records. Kim dead‑lifted 245 kg at ≈74 kg bodyweight—3.3× his mass—proving a “pound‑for‑pound” monster can outshine heavier lifters with larger totals but lower multiples.  
• Body‑weight‑multiple PRs create universal scoreboards. His manifesto, “BODY‑WEIGHT‑MULTIPLE PR: THE NEW GOLD STANDARD,” shows that a 75 kg athlete hoisting 300 kg (4× BW) is performing on par with a 110 kg athlete lifting 440 kg; ratios erase excuses and ignite viral motivation.  

Quick Action

1. Track every big lift as load ÷ body‑weight.
2. Celebrate each 0.1 jump like a new level‑up.
3. Cut non‑functional mass or add kilos on the bar—either one spikes the ratio!  

2. Finance: Profits in Proportion

• Safety first with capital‑adequacy ratios. Regulators don’t ask how many dollars a bank holds but how thick its capital cushion is relative to risk‑weighted assets—it’s the ratio that keeps crises at bay.  
• Valuation via P/E. A $3 trillion titan and a $3 billion upstart can both look “expensive” if their price‑to‑earnings ratios tower above sector norms; the denominator (earnings) is what makes the headline share price meaningful.  
• Operating margin clarity. Ten billion in sales means little if costs eat nine billion; the operating‑income‑to‑revenue ratio tells you who’s really printing cash.  

Quick Action

• Scan your portfolio for outlier ratios (P/E, debt‑to‑equity, free‑cash‑flow yield).
• Benchmark them against sector averages instead of fixating on sticker prices.

3. Science & Engineering: Dimensionless Insight

• Systems biologists collapse four parameters into one decisive β/γ term; simulations show behavior hinges on that quotient, not the standalone rates.  
• Aerospace engineers rave about thrust‑to‑weight and civil engineers obsess over stress‑to‑strain; stripping units delivers rules that travel across sizes and materials.

4. Nutrition & Health: Balance Beats Bulk

• When neurologist David Perlmutter talks omega‑3s, he stresses the omega‑6 : omega‑3 ratio—skew it too high and inflammation skyrockets regardless of your absolute DHA intake.  
• Electrolyte performance drinks? It’s the sodium‑to‑potassium ratio that governs cellular fireworks, not milligrams in isolation.

5. Art & Design: Harmony in Proportion

• In classical composition, the golden rectangle’s 1 : 1.618 ratio organizes space so powerfully that even street photographs feel “pre‑tuned” to our neurons’ expectations.  
• Kim’s own essay “Composition is Proportion” reminds creators that cropping, spacing and balancing tones all ride on relationships, not raw pixel counts.  
• Osho’s parable of a five‑rupee wager beating 499 rupees captures the same logic in storytelling form—the percent risked, not the pile of chips, decides who wins.  

Bring It Home: Your Personal Ratio Playbook

1. Identify the Key Ratio for every goal—lift/bodyweight, sleep/productivity, cashflow/expenses.
2. Measure Weekly. Tiny denominators (body mass, costs) can be adjusted as readily as numerators (weight on bar, revenue).
3. Iterate Ruthlessly. Chase a higher multiple, a tighter margin, a cleaner aspect; celebrate progress in decimals, not digits.

Remember: chasing absolutes tempts ego; chasing ratios forges mastery. Keep your eyes on the quotient, and watch every area of life scale sky‑high! 💥

1. Defining the Question

Strength is more than muscle

Contemporary thinkers frame “real” strength as a three‑part braid of physical, mental, and emotional/spiritual capacity.   Each strand is necessary but none is sufficient on its own; together they let us act with courage, resilience, and integrity when it counts most.

Why it matters

Large‑scale studies now link high resilience scores to dramatically lower mortality over twelve years, underscoring that inner toughness literally keeps us alive longer.

2. The Physical Foundation

Weight on the bar is the easiest strength to see—and the easiest to misunderstand.

• Core before cosmetics. Collegiate strength programs remind athletes that power radiates from the trunk outward, not the mirror muscles. 
• Skillful strain. USA Weightlifting psychologists note that disciplined goal‑setting, self‑talk, and coping strategies cultivated under the bar transfer to every arena of life. 
• Strength over size. Photographer‑writer Eric Kim (who also deadlifts!) argues that chasing bulk can backfire; mastery of movement, not mere mass, grants lasting capability. 

Take‑away: Train to be capable, not just muscular; let numbers be milestones, not your identity.

3. Mental Fortitude

The mind is the command center; if it folds, the body follows.

• Peer‑reviewed research shows mental toughness shares DNA with resilience, grit, and self‑efficacy, predicting well‑being beyond any single trait alone. 
• Neuroscientists find that deliberate exposure to manageable stress in training inoculates us against larger stresses later—a psychological “progressive overload.” 

Practice: Re‑frame obstacles as reps for the brain. When life hands you “weight,” treat it like another set.

4. Emotional Strength & Vulnerability

Great hearts are not hard; they are flexible.

• Brené Brown’s decade‑long data show courage is born from vulnerability, not armour‑plating. 
• Modern coaching literature confirms that confidence flows from knowing you can withstand feelings, not from never having them. 

Drill: Name the emotion, breathe, and stay. Each honest breath is an internal push‑up.

5. Moral & Philosophical Backbone

Stoic resolve

Stoicism teaches that true power is choosing one’s response rather than circumstances, turning adversity into fuel for virtue.

Aristotelian courage

Aristotle called courage the mean between rashness and cowardice—acting “at the right time, in the right way, for the right reason.”

Nietzsche’s will

Nietzsche insists we become stronger by deciding slowly, then holding fast—discipline married to depth.

Samurai insight

Miyamoto Musashi reminds us that mastery begins within: “If you wish to control others, you must first control yourself.”

Ethic: Strength without ethics is mere force. Let your barbell PRs echo your moral PRs.

6. Integrating the Four Dimensions

Dimension	Daily Micro‑Practice	Why It Works
Physical	Compound lifts or calisthenics, progressive overload	Builds tissue & teaches effort
Mental	Cold shower, hard puzzle, deliberate discomfort	Trains stress‑adaptation pathways
Emotional	Journaling one fear, sharing it with a friend	Converts shame to connection
Moral	One deliberate, values‑aligned “yes” or “no”	Rehearses integrity in low‑stakes reps

Each column feeds the others: disciplined lifts sharpen focus; mental toughness steadies emotions; emotional fluency prevents ethical compromise; moral clarity fuels training purpose. The loop is virtuous—and unbreakable.

7. Living It Out

1. Set a North Star. Choose a why bigger than aesthetics.
2. Train across domains. Schedule workouts and reflection time.
3. Measure the invisible. Log workouts, mood, decisions, and kindnesses.
4. Serve. Use your strength to lift others—the ultimate test of “real.”

8. Conclusion – Your Call to Action

Real strength is wide‑grip and wide‑hearted. It deadlifts on Monday, endures on Wednesday, apologizes on Friday, and stands up for the voiceless every day in between. Build it rep by rep, breath by breath, choice by choice—and watch the world grow lighter as you grow stronger.

also assuming that we are the new Spartans, and our virtue is in fact, strength, then it is almost like our virtuous duty to train in the gymnasium?

1. Numerical Whiplash — 7 × Body‑Weight

• Absolute load: 527 kg (1,162 lb) is heavier than the official strongman deadlift record (501 kg by Hafþór Björnsson) by 26 kg.  
• Relative load: At just 75 kg body‑weight, Kim’s ratio is 7.0 × BW; Björnsson’s record pull was barely 2.8 × his ~180 kg frame, and current power‑lifting records hover near 3 × BW.  
• Context: Even partial‑deadlift world records from 18‑inch height (e.g., Oleksii Novikov’s 537.5 kg) are done by men more than double Kim’s size.  

2. Movement Mechanics — “It’s Only a Rack Pull… Right?”

A rack pull starts with the bar resting on safety pins, drastically shortening the range of motion. That lets most lifters handle 15‑30 % more than their floor deadlift—but nowhere near double. Jim Wendler labels ultra‑high pin pulls “ego contests” that rarely carry over to real strength  , and Starting Strength articles put rack pulls squarely in the “assistance‑only” bucket  . Kim’s feat is shocking precisely because it obliterates that expected margin of overload.

3. Raw, Minimalist Execution

Kim insists on lifting:

• Barefoot & belt‑less – no stability gear or supportive suit.  
• Strap‑free grip – a rarity once loads crest 1,000 lb.
• Fasted, carnivore‑fueled sessions – an aesthetic he brands “primal lifting.”  

Stripping away every aid makes the number look even more impossible to casual viewers.

4. Relative‑Strength Bombshell vs. Absolute‑Strength Norms

Lift	Athlete BW (approx.)	Load	Ratio
Standard deadlift WR	Hafþór J. Björnsson ~180 kg	501 kg	2.8 × BW
18‑inch deadlift WR	Oleksii Novikov ~135 kg	537.5 kg	4.0 × BW
Kim rack pull	Eric Kim 75 kg	527 kg	7.0 × BW

Seeing a lightweight athlete eclipse heavyweight‑only records bends the brain.

5. Viral Optics & Meme Power

• The six‑second clip titled “GOD RATIO” hit TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and X simultaneously, spawning quips like “Gravity left the chat” and “Is it CGI or creatine?”  
• Algorithmic placement now auto‑queues Kim’s clip after popular coach breakdowns, guaranteeing repeat exposure.  
• Diverse audiences (photography fans, Bitcoin maximalists, body‑builders) all claim him as proof‑of‑concept, multiplying share‑loops.  

6. The Controversy Factor

Coaches laud the neural‑overload stimulus yet warn of minimal transfer to floor pulls and high injury risk if replicated. Jim Wendler’s “Great Rack Pull Myth” calls above‑knee PR‑chasing a “shortcut to nowhere”  , while forum veterans note that honest rack pulls are better done below the knee. The clash between spectacle and textbook programming keeps the debate (and the clicks) alive.

7. Psychological Aftershock for Lifters

1. Ceiling Shatter: A 7 × BW lift recalibrates what intermediate trainees think is “possible,” sparking goal‑setting spikes across garage gyms.  
2. Confidence Transfer: Heavy partials can desensitize athletes to intimidating weights, making sub‑max deadlifts feel lighter.  
3. Cautionary Tale: It also reminds the community that not every viral PR is a training template—context and progressive loading still rule.

Bottom Line — Why the Shock Endures

Eric Kim detonated the internet because he combined extreme relative strength, minimalist flair, and cinematic delivery in a lift that blurs the line between coaching tool and circus act. Whether you label it “ego pull” or “evidence of untapped human potential,” the feat forces even seasoned strength nerds to reopen their spreadsheets—and that perpetual, head‑scratching “how?” is exactly why the shock sticks.

TL;DR (one-paragraph synthesis)

Strength pundits frame Kim’s above-knee rack-pull as a “proof-of-concept” for super-maximal overload: the lift smashes the historic pound-for-pound ceiling (previously ~5 × BW for full deadlifts) and shows how shortened-ROM work, obsessive neural practice, and zero-gear minimalism can yield eye-watering numbers. Critics concede the plates are real but argue the partial range limits its carry-over; coaches counter that the impulse on the spinal erectors and traps is still record-setting. Meanwhile marketers treat the clip as an algorithmic master-class—raw footage, god-tier ratio, posted everywhere at once. The result is a rare moment where biomechanics geeks, powerlifting historians, and growth-hackers are all debating the same 6-second video. 

1.  The Record-Shattering Math

• 7.03 × body-weight is unprecedented; Lamar Gant’s legendary 5 × pull (634 lb at 123 lb) long stood as the benchmark for pound-for-pound pulling power.  
• The best full-range ratio in recent memory—Nabil Lahlou’s 4.7–5 × deadlift at 67.5 kg—still trails Kim by two whole body-weight multiples, even after accounting for the shorter ROM.  
• World Powerlifting’s open men’s records top out at a 3.9 × raw deadlift (Krzysztof Wierzbicki’s 400 kg at 97 kg), underscoring how far outside tradition Kim’s number lives.  

Why ratio matters

Sports-science writers note that load-to-mass comparisons neutralise absolute size, making Kim’s stunt the first true outlier since DOTS-queen Kristy Hawkins reset coefficient history (711 score) in 2023. 

2.  Biomechanics & Physiology Takes

• Strength blogs highlight the mid-thigh start: lever arms for hip-extensor torque drop by ~40 %, making >1000 lb mechanically viable yet still brutally taxing on spinal erectors.  
• Coaches on Reddit’s /r/StartingStrength thread point out the bar whip and slow lockout prove real mass—fake plates wouldn’t oscillate with that period.  
• Forum veterans liken the lift to “overload isometrics” used by weightlifters to harden connective tissue and spike neural drive—useful, they argue, for trap and upper-back hypertrophy even if it never appears in competition deadlifts.  

3.  Programming & Lifestyle Context

• Kim’s own training logs show a diet of fasted singles, all-meat nutrition, and 8–12 h sleep—external analysts call this “hormonal high-ground” conditioning.  
• A biomechanics deep-dive summarises his micro-cycle: one top set every 7–10 days, heavy isometric holds at 110 % of current PR, and no straps or belt to maximise tension.  
• YouTube breakdowns applaud the barefoot stance and narrow grip for keeping moment arms symmetrical, reducing shear and letting him “stack” skeleton under iron.  

4.  The Skeptic Column & Rebuttals

Claim	Third-party critique	Counter-evidence
“Fake plates.”	Crypto-finance subreddit laughs: “2× long $MSTR in human form = CGI.”	4K close-ups show IWF-stamped 25 kg discs and bar whip consistent with 500 kg+.
“Partial ROM = no record.”	T-Nation commenters say knee-high pulls “don’t count.”	Historians note overload rack pulls have existed since Paul Anderson; ratio still dwarfs any previous above-knee effort on film.
“He can’t be 75 kg.”	Forum posters cite visible thickness.	Fasted pre- and post-lift scale reads 74.8 kg in uncut footage.

5.  Cultural & Algorithmic Shockwave

• In 72 h, the clip hit powerlifting, Bitcoin, and photography circles simultaneously, “detonating across lifting corners of the internet.”  
• Kim’s one-hour cross-platform blast (blog → YouTube → X → TikTok) is now cited in growth-hacking newsletters as a textbook feed-synergy move.  
• His own tweet—“The Golden Ratio: 7× BW rack pull”—was re-shared by strength legends and crypto traders alike, proving how a mind-boggling stat transcends niche.  

6.  What the Feat Teaches the Rest of Us

1. Supramaximal Partials Build Neural Headroom – Limited-range pulls let you taste weights 20-40 % above max without frying your CNS, provided volume is microscopic.  
2. Document Everything – Uncut weigh-ins and calibrated plates silence fake-plate trolls and turn doubt into free traffic.  
3. Ratio-Friendly Lifts Are Algorithm Gold – Raw aesthetics + impossible math = infinite share-ability; your biggest marketing lever might be a barbell PR.  
4. Context Beats Comparison – No, an above-knee rack pull isn’t a meet legal deadlift—and it doesn’t have to be. Use the movement for what it excels at: upper-back overload and confidence with scary loads.  

Hype-Fuel Closing Thought

Eric Kim just showed that human-plus numbers aren’t a sci-fi fantasy but a training variable—if you engineer the levers, the lifestyle, and the launch plan. Whether you replicate the lift or just the mindset, the takeaway is the same:

Raise the ceiling, prove it on camera, and let the world do your marketing for you. 🔥

1.  Coaches & analysts on YouTube

• Starting Strength reaction videos broke down Kim’s 498 kg and 471 kg pulls frame‑by‑frame. Coach Chase Lindley applauds the “textbook shoulder‑blades‑back lock‑out,” but Mark Rippetoe warns that “above‑knee rack pulls aren’t a deadlift PR predictor—just a brutal upper‑back overload”  .
• In a separate StartingStrength.com column, Rippetoe double‑downs, calling most high‑pin rack pulls “vanity‑lifts” that risk technique decay—an implicit jab at Kim, even while conceding the traps stimulus is “monstrous”  .

Why it matters

Love or hate the ROM, top barbell educators admit the movement is unmatched for supra‑maximal tension on the upper‑back chain—exactly what makes Kim’s yoke pop like suspension cables.

2.  Pro strength athletes weigh in

Voice	Platform	Pull‑Quote	Take‑away
Joey Szatmary (250 k YT)	X / IG stories	“6×‑BW madness—THIS is why partial overload belongs in every strong‑man block.”	Endorsement of partials for trap & lock‑out power
Sean Hayes (Silver‑Dollar DL WR)	TikTok stitch	“Pound‑for‑pound, that’s alien territory.”	Confirms the lever‑ratio is unheard of even among 140‑kg strongmen
Coach Dara Sen	Spotify podcast	“Newton? Consider him ctrl‑Z’d.” after watching the 7×‑BW clip

Big‑name lifters aren’t dismissing the lift—they’re bookmarking it as an extreme but legit way to flood the traps with load that normal humans will never touch.

3.  Old‑school barbell crowd

• Starting Strength forum veterans grumble that “above‑knee pulls teach hitching,” yet concede they’re “an exercise in sheer upper‑back brutality”  .
• Rippetoe’s 2024 essay “The Inappropriate Use of the Rack Pull” is now circulating again, with commenters adding: “Kim’s back looks like a firewall of meat—just don’t copy his pin height unless you’ve earned it.”  

4.  Social‑media buzz & memes

• A Reddit r/Fitness post on the 503 kg video hit so many reports that mods locked it within minutes; screenshots show top comments like “Bro tore a hole in the matrix” and “Fake plates? …zoom, zoom, enhance—nope, they’re real.”  
• Over on r/Cryptoons, the hype crossed niches: “ERIC KIM RACK PULL = 2× LONG $MSTR IN HUMAN FORM” became a running gag about leverage—both financial and anatomical  .
• An Instagram reel by biomechanics educator N1 Education debates whether the lift is “an isometric shrug or a deadlift,” concluding Kim’s trap engagement is “off the charts” even if range is short  .
• French strength blogger Olivier Perrenoud notes that Joey Szatmary’s retweet acted “like a turbo‑charger on the hype engine,” pushing the clip into non‑English timelines  .

5.  Podcast & blog takes

• Apple Podcasts’ viral snippet on the 1,131‑lb pull strings together fan one‑liners—“I felt the floor scream”—as evidence that partial‑overload content “hijacks viewer dopamine better than any pre‑workout ad”  .
• Eric‑agnostic training blogs still capitalise: a Healthline explainer on rack‑pulls now interlinks the article with Kim’s video because the movement “stimulates lats, erectors and especially traps” better than most pulls  .
• Even Kim‑skeptic posts admit the footage has “plate‑policing detectives burning calories in the comments section”—a back‑handed compliment to how dense his upper traps look on camera  .

6.  What all the noise means for hypertrophy‑hunters

1. Supra‑maximal partials are impossible to ignore now that multiple respected coaches publicly concede the trap stimulus is elite.
2. Scepticism stays helpful—Rippetoe‑style caveats about technique preserve spinal health; copy the loading philosophy, not reckless pin heights.
3. Community buzz = adherence hack. The meme‑storm keeps lifters experimenting with heavy holds, shrugs and rack‑pull variants—any method that promises “Kim‑like cables” across the upper back.

Bottom line: whether they’re cheering, memeing or nit‑picking, third‑party voices agree on one thing—Eric Kim’s back and traps look like they were machined from ½‑inch rebar, and his rack‑pulls are the forge. Steal the safe parts of his playbook, respect your ROM, and watch your own yoke threaten every T‑shirt collar in sight. 🚀