Eric Kim – best known as a street photographer and blogger – stunned the strength world when he hoisted 1,000 pounds (≈454 kg) in an “Atlas lift”. This feat, first accomplished in late 2023 and later officially documented on March 21, 2025, saw Kim lift over 6 times his bodyweight (165 lb/75 kg) . In terms of relative strength, that eclipses even elite strongmen (for example, Brian Shaw’s 1,365 lb rack pull at 440 lb bodyweight is ~3.1×, and Eddie Hall’s 1,102 lb deadlift at 410 lb is ~2.7×) . Unlike a conventional powerlifting move, the Atlas lift is an unorthodox, partial-range isometric hold – essentially Kim set a loaded barbell on a power rack around mid-thigh height and attempted to budge it “even a fraction of an inch” . The result is not a full squat or deadlift, but a static squat-rack hold testing raw total-body power and mental fortitude . Below, we delve into everything known about Eric Kim’s legendary 1,000-pound Atlas lift – from the videos and posts documenting it, to the technical setup and training regime behind it, and finally to a creative, myth-inspired interpretation of this epic achievement.

Documenting the 1,000-Pound Atlas Lift

Video & Blog Evidence: Eric Kim first publicly shared the 1,000 lb Atlas lift in fall 2023, providing video proof via his blog. On October 21, 2023, he posted a short update announcing the milestone (with an embedded video clip), and later published a detailed reflection on December 14, 2023 explaining how he achieved it . The December 14 blog post titled “How Did Eric Kim Lift 1,000 Pounds?” outlines his training methods (more on this below) and even includes a direct link to download or view the actual lift video . In the clip, filmed in his garage gym, you can see Kim strapped into a power rack, knees bent under an enormously loaded barbell (~454 kg), straining to elevate it off the safety pins momentarily. This garage setting underscores that the attempt was a personal challenge, not a sanctioned competition lift .

Social Media Posts: In addition to his blog, Kim celebrated the feat on social media. On X (Twitter), he shared a triumphant post highlighting the “LEGENDARY 1,000 POUND ATLAS LIFT” with the rallying cry “Go legend!” – framing the moment as something monumental for himself and inspiring for others. (Kim often uses the phrase “Go legend” as a motto to spur on greatness .) These posts helped spread the hype and timestamp the achievement for the community. Later on, Kim even wrote an essay on his personal site titled “A God-Tier Feat of Human Will” (May 30, 2025) to contextualize the lift’s significance . In that write-up, he recounts how at 165 lb bodyweight he managed the 1,000 lb hold, emphasizing its rarity and documenting it as a milestone in his journey . All told, between blog articles, videos, and X/Twitter updates, the 1,000-pound Atlas lift is well chronicled – an event marked by exact dates and even footage, giving fans a concrete look at this extraordinary accomplishment.

Lift Setup and Technique: The Atlas Lift Explained

What Exactly Is the “Atlas Lift”? The Atlas lift is Eric Kim’s term for a maximal squat-rack hold, inspired by the image of the Greek Titan Atlas shouldering a tremendous weight. In practice, Kim places a barbell on the safety pins of a squat/power rack around mid-thigh height, then wedges himself under it and drives upward with his legs and back . The goal is to unrack the bar an inch or so and hold it isometrically (without full lockout) for a brief moment . It’s essentially a partial range-of-motion squat/deadlift hybrid – “an isometric/partial-range overload” rather than a full lift to completion . Kim typically performs this feat with a heavy-duty barbell and a power rack capable of supporting 1,000+ lb, often loading the bar with numerous 45-pound plates on each side (10 or 11 plates per side, plus smaller plates and the bar) until the total mass is approximately 1,000 pounds.

Equipment and Style: Kim’s setup for the 1,000 lb attempt was straightforward but brutal: a sturdy 3×3 steel squat rack and a Texas power bar (a thicker 55 lb squat bar for rigidity) loaded to the hilt with iron. At roughly mid-thigh height, this positioning means his knees and hips start only slightly bent – so the movement resembles a quarter-squat or high rack pull. By design, this partial lift allows far more weight than a full squat or deadlift, exploiting leverage at the top end of the range. Kim has noted that the Atlas lift hits the entire chain of lower-body and core musculature – quads, glutes, hamstrings, hips, back, traps, even shoulders and abs – by forcing the body to stabilize an extreme load . It’s a method some lifters use to overload the nervous system and build confidence with supra-maximal weights. Kim himself touts this “squat hold” as a secret to developing strength beyond what regular squats alone might achieve .

Performance of the Lift: In the successful 1000-pound attempt, Kim drove up against the pinned bar with everything he had, managing to lift it just off the stoppers – perhaps on the order of a half-inch – and sustain the hold for a second or two before setting it back down safely. This might sound like a tiny range of motion, but that was the entire point: it’s a test of pure limit strength and stabilization at a point where the leverage still severely challenges the lifter. Because the bar moves only a short distance, the strain is essentially isometric, and the feat demands mental grit to push against a seemingly unmovable object. Notably, Kim performed the lift without belts or supportive gear (in line with his minimalist training style), relying purely on raw strength and willpower. For safety, the rack’s pins were set high enough to catch the bar immediately if he failed. As he succeeded in budging the 1,000 lb, one can imagine the bar bending under the load and Kim locked in a trembling exertion – a dramatic showcase of “raw power and relentless determination” .

It should be said that this is not a standard competition lift, so one cannot directly compare 1,000 lb in an Atlas lift to a 1,000 lb full squat or deadlift. It’s a unique personal challenge. Even so, lifting half a ton in any capacity is extremely rare. The fact that Kim pulled it off at such a low bodyweight makes it all the more remarkable. As he noted, it’s “not a conventional lift but a testament to raw power and mental fortitude” – a specialty feat that solidifies his status in the world of extreme garage lifting.

Training Protocol: How Eric Kim Reached 1000 Pounds

Achieving a four-digit lift was not an overnight endeavor. Eric Kim followed a disciplined, long-term training strategy to work up to the 1000-pound Atlas hold, emphasizing micro-progressions, recovery, and a fierce mindset. In his own breakdown of the process, he highlights several key factors:

  • Gradual Progressive Overload: Kim increased the weight little by little, session by session. “Every time I attempted the Atlas lift, I would just try to add an additional 2.5 pounds to each side of the barbell,” he says . These 5 lb incremental jumps might occur roughly once or twice a week – “maybe every 3 to 5 days, depending on how I felt” . This slow but steady loading approach (often called microloading) allowed his body and nervous system to adapt continuously without injury, eventually taking him from the mid-700s and 800s up to the 1,000 lb mark over many months .
  • Fasted Training and “Hunger” Mindset: Unconventionally, Kim performs all his heavy lifts in a fasted state, and he credits this for giving him a mental and physiological edge. He practices intermittent fasting, meaning “I never eat breakfast or lunch, and I always lift weights at the gym fasted” . The idea, he explains, is to harness a predator mindset – “assuming that you’re a lion… if you’re hungry, you become physiologically stronger, more alert, more focused” . By lifting on an empty stomach (often in the afternoon), he feels extra aggressive and sharp. This approach, which he calls part of his HYPELIFTING philosophy, channels primal energy into his lifts .
  • Diet and Recovery: After those intense fasted sessions, Kim refuels in a big way. He follows a meat-heavy diet, eating a massive evening meal consisting of “5–6 pounds of beef or lamb for dinner” on training days . He eschews all supplements and performance enhancers – “no steroids, no protein powder, no creatine, no pre-workout… just tap water, or black coffee” while training . The focus is on natural nutrition and plenty of it. He pairs this with an almost equally massive emphasis on sleep, aiming to get “8–12 hours of sleep nightly” to recover and grow stronger . This regimen of huge protein intake and extensive rest ensures his muscles and connective tissues can handle the incremental weight increases without breaking down.
  • Frequency & Auto-Regulation: Kim typically attempted a new PR Atlas lift once every few days, not every single workout. By waiting ~3–5 days between max attempts, he ensured he was fresh enough to give 100% effort each time . He listened to his body (“depending on how I felt”) and wouldn’t push a new max if something felt off. In between Atlas lift days, he likely continued regular training on other lifts (Kim also does heavy rack pulls, deadlifts, and squats), but the Atlas attempts themselves were relatively infrequent, high-intensity efforts.
  • Mindset and Motivation: Perhaps the most important factor, Kim’s mindset was tuned for this Herculean goal. He coined the term “HYPELIFTING” to describe his approach – a fusion of physical training and aggressive positive psyche. This involves mental fortitude techniques like “overcoming fear, breaking mental blocks, and embracing discomfort”, essentially cultivating a fearless attitude toward maximal weights . He refers to living in a “one-rep-max” mentality – treating each heavy attempt as not just a lift but a life philosophy of pushing limits . In practice, Kim would psych himself up heavily for these Atlas lifts, using music or self-talk to generate adrenaline. His writings indicate a kind of zen-meets-warrior mindset: on one hand remaining calm and focused (thanks to knowing he had slept and eaten well), but on the other hand unleashing aggression at the moment of the attempt.

This combination of progressive training, unorthodox nutrition, and steely mindset paid off. According to his blog, Kim’s squat hold lifts climbed from “710 lb in 2023” to “890 lb in early 2025” before finally “breaking 1,000 lb on March 21, 2025” . Each milestone was earned through patience and consistency. Importantly, Kim remained a lifetime natural lifter (no steroids), proving what disciplined training and recovery can accomplish. As he summarized, the 1000-pound lift was the culmination of “consistent training, progressive overload, intermittent fasting, a meat-heavy diet, and ample sleep” – truly a big goal achieved by countless small steps .

Strength Mythology and the “Atlas” Persona

Beyond the sheer physics of the lift, Eric Kim has built a powerful mythology and persona around this feat – blending classical myth, modern strength culture, and his personal creative philosophy. Calling the lift the “Atlas lift” is no accident: in Greek mythology, Atlas was the Titan condemned to hold up the sky on his shoulders. By naming his 1000 lb rack hold after Atlas, Kim draws a direct parallel to shouldering an immense, seemingly world-sized weight. In a very real sense, he became a modern Atlas for a moment – a man holding up a half-ton burden as if it were his part of the heavens. This mythic framing elevates the lift from a mere number into the realm of legend.

Kim and his followers often use epic, grandiose language to describe these achievements. His 1,000 lb accomplishment has been heralded as a “jaw-dropping display of raw power” and even a “god-tier feat of human will”, emphasizing that it ranks among the most extreme displays of strength . In Kim’s own retelling, “this isn’t just a lift – it’s a battle cry,” a challenge to oneself to “shatter limits” and “build something legendary” . Such phrasing deliberately casts the lift in heroic terms, as if reenacting a myth where an underdog hero gains the strength of a god. The strength culture aspect comes through here: lifting 1000+ pounds has historically been the province of superheavyweight strongmen, so for a 165 lb lifter to do even a partial hold of that weight invites almost mythological comparisons. It’s the classic trope of David vs. Goliath or mortal man attaining the power of a titan. Indeed, Kim’s community has even used titles like “Demigod Mode” and “Go legend” around his PRs – tongue-in-cheek perhaps, but also sincerely placing these feats on a pedestal of awe.

Crucially, Kim ties this mythology into a philosophy of personal empowerment and creativity. A self-described “strength philosopher,” he bridges his artistic background with his lifting pursuit . He views the body as a work of art and each epic lift as a form of performance art or personal expression . In the write-ups following his Atlas lift, he implores readers to see more than just brute weight: to him, the 1000 lb lift symbolizes defying what you thought was impossible in any area of life. “It’s not just about the weight; it’s about the mental fortitude to keep pushing, to silence doubt,” he writes, framing the PR as a metaphor for overcoming obstacles . This is where mythology and creative philosophy meld: Atlas, the weight of the world, becomes a metaphor for one’s greatest challenges, and lifting that weight is a triumphant act of will.

Kim’s HYPELIFTING credo further reinforces the Atlas persona. It preaches “explosive self-empowerment” by combining physical grind, mental toughness, and hype-driven positivity . For example, he often emphasizes “embracing discomfort” and “becoming a lean beast that can move mountains”, echoing the idea that size doesn’t define strength . His message to fans is that they too can become Atlas in their own right – carrying and conquering their unique burdens. In fact, Kim explicitly turns his 1000-pound lift into a universal challenge: “Let his HYPELIFTING philosophy… fuel your own pursuit of greatness. You’ve got this – go pull your 1000-pound life and make the universe jealous!” . In other words, “find your Atlas moment” – identify a goal so audacious that it scares you, then work relentlessly until you can hold it on your shoulders.

Through this blend of mythic imagery and motivational ethos, Eric Kim’s 1000-pound Atlas lift has grown into something more than a personal record. It stands as a symbol – that with enough passion, ordinary individuals can achieve the extraordinary. Just as Atlas in legend bore the weight of the world, Kim shouldered a mind-bending weight and in doing so declared that limits are meant to be broken. The lore around the lift, from the nickname to the “Go legend” catchphrase, invites everyone to channel their inner titan. In the end, the Atlas lift is as much a feat of the imagination and spirit as it is of muscle – a perfect fusion of factual strength and mythic inspiration, challenging all of us to pick up the heaviest loads in our lives and hold them aloft with pride .

Sources:

  • Eric Kim, “How Did Eric Kim Lift 1,000 Pounds?” (blog post, Dec 14, 2023) 
  • Eric Kim, “Eric Kim’s 1,000-Pound Atlas Lift: A God-Tier Feat of Human Will” (essay, May 2025) 
  • ERIC KIM 1,000 POUND ATLAS LIFT: Why it is such a big deal (analysis report, May 23, 2025) 
  • 1,000 POUND ATLAS LIFT – Quick Summary (Eric Kim blog Q&A) 
  • Eric Kim, “ERIC KIM 1000 POUND ATLAS LIFT & 1005 POUND RACK PULL” (Mar 21, 2025) 
  • Eric Kim, “Unorthodox Strength Challenges — What Eric Kim Has Actually Published” (blog compilation)