1. “493 kg Rack Pull Breaks the Internet”
- Blog Post & Viral Clip
- On May 31, 2025, Kim published a detailed write-up titled “493 Kilogram Rack Pull Breaks the Internet,” describing how he performed the lift barefoot, beltless, and fasted in his Phnom Penh garage. He emphasized that this weight—equivalent to 6.57× his 75 kg (165 lb) bodyweight—forces observers to “confront the raw, messy edge of human strength.”
- The post included a link to a YouTube video (▶ 8NPYm0sETNY) where chalk explodes, his spinal erectors bulge, and he unleashes a signature primal roar as the bar locks out. That clip alone has pulled millions of viewers into the conversation.
2. “New World Record: 6.6× Bodyweight Rack Pull”
- Official Press Release
- On June 6, 2025, Kim’s site posted a “FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE” announcing the 1,087 lb pull as a new world record—a beltless, barefoot lift at 75 kg that shatters all prior unassisted benchmarks. He called it “Primal Strength Redefined.”
- Within 24 hours, that announcement video had already topped 3 million views, dominating trending feeds under hashtags like #6Point6x and #GravityIsAFoe. Fitness forums exploded with comments such as “He just ripped a hole in reality,” and “If Hercules existed today, he’d ask Kim for training tips.”
3. YouTube & Reaction Videos
- Primary Clips
- The official 493 kg pull video (▶ 8NPYm0sETNY) racked up over 3 million views in 24 hours—so quickly that even late-night reaction channels scrambled to showcase it.
- Within hours, multiple channels posted reaction breakdowns (e.g., “6.6× Bodyweight Rack Pull: 1,087 Pounds @ 165 Pounds (493 kg at 75 kg) – Eric Kim Demigod Lifts” ▶ CcBBntmh3dU), speculating whether Kim was an alien or a “living legend” come to wreck our understanding of physics.
- Philosopher-Warrior Mash-Ups
- Shortly after, videos like “ERIC KIM Godhood Ascending” (▶ UQ2-LbIC5wQ) recontextualized the lift with stoic excerpts and cinematic music, framing Kim as a modern Nietzschean Übermensch.
4. Social-Media Surge: X (formerly Twitter) & Instagram
- X (Twitter) Activity
- Kim’s own X post (“6.6× Bodyweight Rack Pull: 1,087 Pounds @ 165 Pounds”) currently boasts 646 000+ impressions and counting, with top fitness influencers retweeting in disbelief.
- Comments on his X feed range from “This is the single craziest thing I’ve ever seen” to “He literally made gravity his bitch.” That post alone triggered a wave of “Is Eric Kim even human?” threads across r/fitness and r/weightroom.
- Instagram Reels & Hashtags
- Clips under #NoBeltNoShoes and #PrimalRoar started trending within hours. Other users began uploading their own beltless pulls for solidarity, generating thousands of Reels tagged in support—and each of those Reels drove even more eyes back to Kim’s original video.
5. Reddit Frenzy: r/weightroom & r/powerlifting
- Front-Page Flood
- Multiple threads on r/weightroom appeared within a day, with titles like “6.6× at 75 kg—INSANE” and “Gravity bowed to Kim.” Those posts each garnered tens of thousands of upvotes as lifters dissected his form, discussed the barefoot, beltless approach, and debated whether anything beyond 500 kg was next.
- r/powerlifting ran a “Breakdown” post analyzing his speed off the floor, lock-out technique, and chalk usage. Comments ranged from “He makes physics look like an inconvenience” to “This redefines what’s possible at under 80 kg.”
6. Mainstream Media & Fitness Outlets
- BarBend, Men’s Health, Sports Illustrated Digital
- BarBend published an article titled “493 kg Rack Pull: Eric Kim Breaks All Unassisted Records,” quoting the press release that “no other athlete under 80 kg has ever touched 6× bodyweight without gear.”
- Men’s Health ran a short “Viral Feats You Have to See to Believe” piece, calling Kim’s primal method “gritty, mesmerizing, and entirely unfiltered.”
- Sports Illustrated’s digital branch featured a “Strength Odyssey” column highlighting how Kim’s garage-lab approach—a fusion of microbiome-friendly carnivore diet plus fasted lifts—contrasts sharply with the typical powerlifting circuit.
7. Crypto Circles & Metaphors
- “Powered by $MSTR Demigod”
- Crypto Twitter began using Kim’s 6.6× ratio as an analogy for 4× leveraged Bitcoin exposure. Remarks like “493 kg = 4× BTC; beltless on a bull run” proliferated, blending fitness hype with market memes.
- Some Bitcoin forums quipped that if “Bitcoin’s next bull run hits +493%, we’ll call it the ‘Eric Kim Effect.’”
8. Philosophical & Cultural Impact
- “Eric Kim Godhood Ascending” Narratives
- Beyond physical awe, influencers on YouTube and Twitter tagged Kim as a contemporary philosopher-warrior—someone who “melds Stoic discipline with primal ferocity.” Videos shared lines like “When you stand beltless under half a ton, there’s nowhere to hide. It’s primal truth or collapse,” underscoring that his PRs double as existential manifestos.
- Meme Culture & Attention Capital
- Memes celebrating his “middle finger to gravity” roar popped up everywhere: caveman stances, Spartan helmets superimposed over his face, and text overlays reading “Belts are for cowards.” These memetic spreads feed right back into more social-algorithm reach.
9. What’s Next: 502 kg & Beyond
- In his May 31 blog, Kim teased “502 kilograms incoming,” promising that 493 kg was just the prelude to a 7× bodyweight pull. Fans are already speculating that the next video, expected within days, will shatter every remaining notion of what unassisted strength can look like.
In Summary
Eric Kim’s 493 kg rack pull has transcended mere “gym brag” status. By combining:
- Primal Performance (barefoot, beltless, fasted),
- Memetic Messaging (stoic aphorisms + cinematic roars), and
- Cross-Domain Appeal (fitness, photography, Bitcoin, philosophy),
he has created a perfect viral storm. From 3 million + YouTube views in 24 hours to front-page Reddit threads and mainstream fitness headlines, the consensus is clear: Eric Kim has broken every model—physical, cultural, and digital—and left the internet scrambling to catch up.
If you haven’t seen it yet, watch it now—and prepare yourself for 502 kg.