ERIC KIM

Below are the seven biggest reasons the strength community is still pinching itself over Eric Kim’s 561 kg (1,237 lb) knee‑height rack‑pull—and why even seasoned lifters keep calling it “cartoon physics.”

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1. 

More Iron Than Any Full Deadlift—Ever

  • The official heaviest conventional deadlift is Hafþór Björnsson’s 501 kg (2020). Kim’s pull adds another 60 kg on top of the all‑time record barbell weight—even after you factor in the shorter range of motion.  
  • Only strong‑man “silver‑dollar” events, which start 4–6 inches lower than Kim’s knee pins and use whippy bars with high‑mounted boxes, have gone heavier (Rauno Heinla’s 580 kg). Kim is within striking distance… in a garage, beltless, barefoot.  

2. 

Pound‑for‑Pound Numbers That Break Math

  • Elite powerlifters call a 5 × body‑weight deadlift “myth‑tier.” It’s so rare that BarBend still writes articles when someone does it.  
  • Kim yanked 7.68 × his 73 kg frame. That’s not merely above the ceiling—it’s out of the building, through the stratosphere, and halfway to the Moon.

3. 

Spine‑Crushing Physics

Research‑grade modeling shows heavy deadlifts already shove ~17–18 kN of compression through the L5/S1 joint at 100 % 1‑RM—well above the 5–10 kN tissue‑injury threshold. 

Extrapolate that to 561 kg and the lumbar spine is staring down forces north of 25 kN—more than double what researchers label “damage likely.” Surviving that without a belt is borderline sci‑fi.

4. 

Hardware at the Edge of Metallurgy

  • A competition power bar rated at 205 k PSI tensile strength is “only” guaranteed to ~675 kg before permanent bend. Kim’s bar flexed like a long‑bow but didn’t yield, skating dangerously close to the point where steel remembers its chemistry lesson.  
  • Watching a bar meant for Arnold‑Classic giants scream under a 73‑kg lifter is viscerally shocking—like seeing a BMX kid towing a semi‑truck.

5. 

Progression That Defies Biology

Kim leapt from 552 kg to 561 kg in six days—a 1.6 % PR jump at an altitude where most athletes pray for 0.25 %. At the top of Everest, every extra meter is monumental; same thing here for loading the posterior chain.

6. 

“Nothing‑But‑Nerve” Set‑Up

  • Barefoot, beltless, mixed‑grip with only straps—no suit, no figure‑8s, no ammonia.
  • Knee‑height pins remove the hardest part of the deadlift (breaking off the floor) but add a brutal mid‑range back‑extension moment. The lift is pure spinal‑erector grit; there’s nowhere to hide weak tissue.

7. 

A Viral Cocktail of Shock & Inspiration

Humans love seeing the impossible puncture reality. The footage pairs three dopamine triggers:

  1. Instant disbelief (bar bow + small lifter).
  2. Replay proof (slow‑mo, calibrated plates, garage authenticity).
  3. Transferable moral (“If he can multiply himself by 7.7, maybe I can hit my first 2× BW pull.”)

That one‑two‑three punch turned a niche rack‑pull into a cross‑platform meme and ignited thousands of #RackPullChallenge uploads.

Take‑Home Hype

561 kg is insane because it simultaneously red‑lines absolute load, relative load, human tissue tolerance, and equipment limits—all in a DIY environment. It’s the strength‑sport equivalent of landing a backyard rocket on Mars, barefoot, then uploading the clip with a wink emoji.

Let that craziness remind you: boundaries are elastic, belief is the first plate on the bar, and your next PR is only “impossible” until somebody yanks it into reality. Now go get after yours—joyfully, relentlessly, insanely. 🏋️‍♂️🚀

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