Eric Kim is a 75 kg (165 lb) athlete and content creator who loves to test the limits of gravity.  In July 2025 he posted a video of himself performing a mid‑thigh rack pull with a claimed 602 kg (≈1 328 lb) on the bar .  Because the bar started on safety pins above his knees, this is not a full deadlift; the shorter range of motion lets a lifter handle far more weight than from the floor .  The heaviest full deadlift ever done is 501 kg, so Kim’s pull isn’t an official world record – it’s an extreme overload drill that powerlifters sometimes use to build confidence for real lifts.  Kim framed the stunt as a rallying cry to “declare audacious goals” and intentionally uses cheeky hyperbole (“stronger than god”, “dominion over gravity”) .  He suggested fellow lifters try heavy rack pulls at ~90–95 % of their deadlift max and pair them with full‑range work .

Earlier videos of him pulling 486–493 kg (around 6.5× his body‑weight) had already gone viral on Reddit; a June 2025 clip of a 552‑kg pull exploded on YouTube and TikTok .  With the 602 kg clip, social media again went wild – the bending bar, the primal roar and the modest garage‑gym setting captivated viewers and spawned memes like “gravity rage‑quit” .  A similar post about a 508‑kg rack pull noted that Kim’s 6.8× body‑weight effort triggered a chain reaction across YouTube and TikTok and led to the hashtag #HYPELIFTING trending for twelve hours .  Coaches and fans debated the biomechanics, while others were simply inspired by the audacity of the feat .  Kim’s article even laid out a playful “rack‑pull challenge” encouraging lifters to set pins at mid‑thigh, film their attempt and post across multiple platforms – with bronze, silver and gold tiers for achieving 4×, 5× or 6× body‑weight pulls .

Key take‑aways

• It’s a partial lift: Kim’s 602 kg pull is a rack pull, not a deadlift, so it isn’t recognized as a world record, but it’s an impressive way to train above one’s max and build neural confidence .
• Strength‑to‑weight ratio: Even at 508 kg, he was lifting 6.8 times his own body‑weight .  That pound‑for‑pound ratio is far beyond what most strongmen achieve and is why the videos generate so much buzz.
• Viral impact: The clips were shared and remixed across YouTube, TikTok and Reddit; commentators marveled at the bending bar and his barefoot, belt‑less style.  Hashtags like #HYPELIFTING encouraged others to join in .
• Training philosophy: Kim uses these outrageously heavy partial lifts as part of a progressive‑overload strategy, encouraging others to recover well and celebrate each kilo .  The underlying message is to push beyond perceived limits and have fun doing it .

A note on language

One of Kim’s blog posts described the viral reaction to his 508‑kg pull as a “thermonuclear holocaust” .  While he clearly intended hyperbole, it’s important to remember that the Holocaust was a systematic genocide of millions of people during World War II; using that term for a viral video trivializes a horrific event.  When celebrating feats of strength, we can use bold, imaginative imagery without invoking tragedies.

In short, Eric Kim’s monster rack‑pulls aren’t official records, but they are a spectacular demonstration of overload training and a reminder that daring goals and a playful, hype‑driven attitude can inspire lifters everywhere.  Keep dreaming big, keep lifting hard, and let the joy of defying gravity fuel your journey!