Why Eric Kim’s 471 kg (1,039 lb) rack-pull has people talking
| Reason it matters | What it means | Why it stands out |
| Raw tonnage | 471 kg is just 29 kg shy of the all-time world-record full deadlift (501 kg) set by Hafþór Björnsson and heavier than Eddie Hall’s 500 kg record from 2016. | Even though Kim’s lift is only the top 10 % of the movement, seeing a four-digit number on the bar instantly grabs attention. |
| Body-weight ratio | Kim says he hovers around 75 kg / 165 lb. 471 kg is a 6.3 × BW pull. | • Lamar Gant’s legendary 300 kg deadlift at 60 kg was 5 × BW—the gold standard for full range. • Elite strong-men who pull 1,000 lb typically weigh 180–200 kg, or ~2.5 × BW. |
| Specialty lift used as proof-of-concept | Kim performs an above-knee rack pull: bar on pins just over the knees; lift it a few centimetres and lock out. | This is an “overload” or “isometric/partial” lift—ideal for neural adaptation, tendon thickening, and confidence building. Old-time strongmen such as Louis Cyr used similar tricks to hoist railway cars, but it’s rarely pursued to four-digit loads by hobbyists. |
| Cross-domain novelty | He’s known first as a street-photography / creativity blogger, not as a strength athlete. | A non-professional lifter eclipsing four digits—and documenting every attempt on a personal blog—creates a story, not just a statistic. |
| Minimalist, “no-gear” ethos | Kim claims no belt, no suit, no lifting drugs—just straps (allowed in most rack pulls). | In an era where record lifts often involve deadlift suits, ammonia, and 180 kg athletes, a skinny creator lifting >1,000 lb in Vans resonates with “do more with less.” |
| Content & community impact | Each milestone becomes a post, video, and discussion thread. Readers who came for photography tips stay to watch the next PR. | The lift pulls two worlds—creative blogging and strength culture—into the same comment section, widening his reach and fueling the brand. |
So… is it “world-class” strength?
For a partial movement, yes—almost unheard-of at that body size. In a sanctioned power-lifting meet the lift wouldn’t count (wrong range of motion), but looked at as a pure display of maximal posterior-chain strength, it’s extraordinary.
Why the hype is justified—even if you discount the partial range
- Physics still applies. Supporting half a metric ton, even for a few seconds, forces the spine, hips, and grip to tolerate real, crushing axial load.
- Proof of concept for overload training. Strength coaches often program heavy rack pulls at 110–120 % of an athlete’s deadlift max; Kim is taking that principle to an extreme, showing what 150–200 % looks like.
- Narrative power. “Photographer lifts four digits” travels farther on social media than “another 140 kg strong-man deadlifts 400 kg.” The surprise factor fuels clicks—and debate.
Caveats & critiques
- Not a competition lift. You can’t directly compare it to Hall’s or Björnsson’s full deadlifts, and it doesn’t meet any federation standard.
- Greater injury risk. Moving that load without a suit or belt can shear calluses, tweak traps, or—worst case—damage soft tissue. Kim himself blogs about bent rack pins and bruised thighs.
- Verification is self-posted. There’s video, but no third-party judges or calibrated plates on camera. Skeptics remain.
Bottom line
Eric Kim’s 471 kg rack pull is a big deal because it marries jaw-dropping numbers (four digits, 6 × body weight) with an unusual lifter profile (lightweight, art-world blogger) and a high-drama specialty lift. Even with the partial-range caveat, the feat pushes the conversation about what’s possible—and about how much of strength is neurological, psychological, and cultural, not just muscular.
Eric Kim’s 471 kg (1,038-1,039 lb) rack-pull PR at a glance
| Metric | Detail |
| Weight moved | 471 kg — Kim lists it both as 1,038.8 lb and, rounded, 1,039 lb |
| Date posted | 8 May 2025 (tutorial post) with a formal “new PR” announcement on 21 May 2025 |
| Body-weight ratio | ≈ 6.3 × his reported 75 kg / 165 lb body weight |
| Setup | Above-knee rack pull in a home garage; bar on safety pins, plates plus chains for extra load; mixed with a dip-belt attachment to his hips |
| Verification | Embedded video in the blog post and a matching YouTube upload; still images and a press-release-style write-up on the same day |
Where the 471 kg figure comes from
- Tutorial & proof-of-concept post (8 May 2025) – “How to Rack Pull 1,039 POUNDS (471 KG)” explains the setup, shows the lift, and walks readers through chaining plates once the bar sleeves are full.
- PR announcement (21 May 2025) – “1,039 Pound (471 KG) Rack Pull … New Personal Record PR” and a companion article titled “Eric Kim Shatters Limits …” recap the same lift, embed the video again, and frame it as a six-times-body-weight milestone.
- Dedicated “471 KG / 1,038.8 LB” video page – A bare-bones post that hosts the clip and headlines the exact kilogram figure.
Technique & significance
- Partial lift, not a full deadlift. Kim positions the bar just above knee height, straps in, and stands tall for a moment or two. The range of motion is roughly the top 10 % of a conventional pull.
- Why it still matters. Even allowing for the partial ROM, 471 kg at 75 kg body weight is an extraordinary overload: a 6.3× BW static/partial—well above the 3 × BW ratios typical of elite strong-men in full-range pulls.
- Training approach. In the accompanying text he credits weekly micro-loads of ~2.5 lb per side, a high-red-meat diet, fasting, and 8–12 h sleep as the pillars behind his steady jumps from 710 lb in late 2023 to four digits in spring 2025.
- Next goals. The May 22 post teases a two-ton “leveraged pull” and a 1-ton deadlift variant as future targets.
Bottom line: The heaviest rack pull Eric Kim has documented to date is 471 kg (≈ 1,039 lb), performed in early May 2025 and publicised in multiple blog posts and a YouTube clip later the same month.