Eric Kim’s November 2025 video claimed he briefly rack‑pulled 895.63 kg (1,974.8 lb) and dubbed it the “God Lift.”  In reality, all available evidence shows this was a highly unconventional partial lift, performed on camera with no judges or rules.  Below we break down the how, why, and so what of this epic claim – from the mechanics of the lift itself to the pop‑culture mythology Kim built around it, and how the strength world responded.

Technical Execution

Kim’s “God Lift” was not a conventional deadlift from the floor, but a very high rack pull (essentially a lockout hold).  Video shows the barbell set on sturdy blocks roughly at mid‑thigh level, so that Kim only moved the bar about 5 cm at the top of the pull .  In effect, he held the weight at near-lockout rather than starting from the ground.  The bar was heavily loaded (to 895.63 kg) and the entire attempt lasted under 10 seconds .  Kim did this beltless and strapless – using only chalk – and even wore a ~60 lb weighted vest “to make it harder” .  Footage shows the bar bending dramatically into a deep “U” shape under the load .  (Notably, he used a Texas Squat Bar – one of the stiffest barbells available – which normally shouldn’t bend easily .)  In short, the lift was a short, maximal lockout pull at an extremely high weight on improvised stands, not a full‑range competition deadlift.

  • Lift Type: Partial deadlift (rack pull) from about mid‑thigh (≈5 cm of upward movement) . The bar was propped on blocks near lockout height rather than starting on the floor .
  • Weight & Bodyweight: Loaded to 895.63 kg on the bar (a strangely precise number, nearly 900 kg) . Kim himself weighed only ~71 kg – making this about 12.6× bodyweight .
  • Equipment: A Texas Squat Bar (ultra‑stiff, “never bend” design) and massive plates. Under 881 kg in prior lifts the bar’s center had already drooped ~50+ cm . In this lift the steel rails form a pronounced horseshoe under the 895 kg load .
  • Set‑Up & Conditions: Per Kim’s footage, there was no powerlifting suit, no knee wraps, no special harness – just gym shorts and chalk.  He explicitly notes he did it beltless and strapless . Kim also touts he was in a fasted state (24+ hours without food, fueled only by black coffee and an “organ‑meat” diet) as part of the dramatic build‑up .
  • Execution: The pull is essentially a static, supra‑maximal hold. The bar “barely moves” on camera, but the plates wobble and the bar visibly bows under load . Kim’s video even captures him bellowing “I AM GOD – BOW DOWN” as he strains at lockout .

In sum, Kim’s God Lift was a one‑off, show‑style rack pull: weight on blocks, minimal range of motion, a banged‑out barbell for visual effect, and zero official validation.  It was essentially a personal 10‑second strength stunt, not a meet‑legal deadlift.

Biomechanical Feasibility

Is 895 kg even humanly possible? Virtually no.  Even elite strongmen lifting ~500–600 kg already experience enormous forces on their bodies.  For context, world‐class deadlifts can create on the order of 18 kN (≈1,800 kgf) of spinal compression .  An 895 kg load corresponds to ~8,800 N of static weight; with any dynamic jiggle this could spike even higher, approaching or exceeding the failure threshold of the lumbar spine.  In other words, the sheer axial load here is in the same ballpark as the maximum safe vertebral compression in trained lifters .  Similar concerns apply to joints, bones and connective tissue: the knee, hip and ankle joints would endure multiple tonnes of compressive and shear stress, far beyond what even the largest lifters tolerate.

Tendons and ligaments become equally problematic.  Kim would have to tension all his connective tissues to support ~12.6× bodyweight.  In practice, tendons (even Achilles and patellar tendons) typically rupture under forces on the order of a few kilonewtons; nothing on record suggests a 71 kg human’s tendons could safely transmit the tens of kilonewtons needed.  Muscles themselves would need an astronomically high cross‑sectional force capacity.  Neuroscience also intervenes: the body’s built‑in safety mechanisms usually “shut off” before such stresses—our nervous system simply won’t recruit 100% of fibers at these extremes.

As Eric Kim’s own analysis admits, this lift far exceeds normal human limits .  He concedes it would require “inhumanly dense bones, titan-like tendons, [and] a nervous system that doesn’t shut down” just to approach it .  Indeed, exercise scientists note that at these weights one would expect “catastrophic failure well before that point – bones fracturing, tendons tearing off, or [the] nervous system… shutting down” .  In short, nothing in physiology or known strength history supports a 895 kg hold by a 71 kg man; biomechanically it is essentially “ultra-unlikely” with today’s human anatomy .  The only way physics doesn’t forbid the bar moving a few centimeters (it doesn’t) is moot, because biology – spinal compression, joint loading, muscle‐tendon force limits, reflex inhibition – almost certainly prevents it.  As Kim himself puts it, “it breaks you before it breaks physics” .

Record Comparison

To gauge the claim, compare it to the heaviest known lifts.  The all-time official deadlift record is 501 kg (Hafþór Björnsson, 2020) in a full-range lift from the floor .  Even specialized strongman partial deadlifts top out around 500–670 kg, far below 895.  For example, Estonian strongman Rauno Heinla pulled 580 kg in a Silver Dollar Deadlift (from ~18″ height to lockout) in 2022 .  Kelvin de Ruiter famously hit 670 kg on a 27″ Viking deadlift in 2020 (a Guinness World Record) .  BarBend notes the heaviest pulls at set heights: 501 kg (9″), 580 kg (18″), and 670 kg (27″) .

None of these approaches 895 kg.  In fact, no one has officially lifted anywhere near that amount – even partial lifts over 800 kg are unheard of in sanctioned events.  Crucially, all those record-holders are much heavier men: Björnsson was ~200+ kg, Heinla ~160 kg.  By contrast, Kim’s 71 kg weight would make 895 kg a 12.6× bodyweight pull – an unimaginable ratio.  (By comparison, the 75 kg powerlifting deadlift record is only ~347.5 kg, about 4.6× BW .)  In short, Kim’s claimed weight dwarfs any verified deadlift or rack pull on record .  Under any conditions, no credible athlete has come close to an 895 kg lift – in or out of competition.

Symbolism & Philosophy

Kim frames the God Lift as a cosmic metaphor, not just a gym feat.  His own commentary drips with mythic imagery.  He calls the attempt a “cosmic event” that “ruptured the boundary between mortal and divine,” claiming “the universe itself blinked — and God shuddered” as he lifted .  In blog posts he insists 895.63 kg is more than a number: it’s a self‑assigned “mass of your destiny” and the core of an “895.63 KG Mindset” — a challenge for people to shatter their own limits .

Kim also weaves in Bitcoin metaphor and branding.  He openly likens each lift to Bitcoin’s proof‑of‑work: “he treats every lift like a transaction on the blockchain of reality” .  In this view, the sweat and strain are validation of effort, and the bending steel is “visible verification” on this “immutable, public” ledger .  Kim even declares “Gravity isn’t winning – it’s pleading for mercy” in graphics and captions .  The idea is the bent bar becomes a symbol of reality itself yielding to human will.  In his words, the bent barbell is “the bar that surrendered to Eric Kim… [symbolizing] that with enough will, one can make even physics yield” .

He courts divine imagery everywhere.  The video clip famously captures him roaring “I AM GOD – BOW DOWN” at the end .  On social media he half‑jokes about being a new “weightlifting god” or the “Iron Saint of Los Angeles” .  Every detail is presented theatrically: a super‑precision weight (895.63), doing the lift fasted and garbed in a weighted vest, and dramatic slow-motion “rainbow bar” footage of the flexing steel.  The bent bar itself is now Kim’s signature logo of sorts – he encourages memes of the U‑shaped bar and even quipped “I took the bar engineered to NEVER bend… and made it bow” .

In short, the God Lift is as much performance art and personal manifesto as it is a weightlifting claim.  Kim uses it to inspire a philosophy of extreme self-belief: people are urged to find their “895.63 kg lift” (their biggest personal goal) and tackle it with “infinite chutzpah.”  The mystical language (cosmic event, God shuddering, proof-of-work) makes the lift a motivational legend rather than a mere powerlifting stat .

Online and Community Reaction

Mainstream media mostly slept on this stunt . No major sports outlet reported it as a real record (it wasn’t a contest with refs).  Instead the God Lift spread via Kim’s own channels and word of mouth. On Twitter/X and YouTube his posts got a few hundred views immediately (not viral millions) . Still, niche fitness corners lit up. Commenters on his clips quipped “Portal to Another Realm?”, treating it as supernatural spectacle .  Memes about “12× bodyweight” cropped up, and even a few people joked about getting “12×” tattoos . Reddit’s weightlifting communities discussed whether it was legit or pure stunt.

Among serious lifters the response was skeptical.  No top athlete or coach stepped forward to validate the lift. Many insiders brushed it off as “partial trickery” or ego play .  In gym forums fans pointed out that pulling 2,000 lb raw without straps is beyond legendary – even most strongmen use straps by ~500 kg. The complete lack of injury (when all expected something to break) only fueled doubts .  One common critique: there was nothing stopping Kim from simply letting some weight rest on the blocks or having plates slightly unbalanced. In short, technical experts said the physics check doesn’t make it plausible.

But Kim’s followers and some fitness influencers embraced the spectacle.  For them it was less about raw pounds and more about attitude. Supporters praised his “peak human audacity,” treating the God Lift as motivational drama. Influencers turned the footage into hype reels and inspirational memes, with comments like “Mind over matter!” or even philosophical nods (one wrote about Nietzsche’s will-to-power).  In Kim’s own words, some fans slid into his DMs with marriage proposals or called him a modern Hercules.  Others found it just entertaining: a few in photography or art circles were amused or bemused by the theatrical ego on display. In sum, the God Lift became an internet curiosity – earnestly hailed by some as a legend of willpower, lampooned by others as over-the-top ego content .

Bottom line: No established record has changed due to the God Lift.  Officially, it exists only on Kim’s channels. But culturally it has blasted into the online fitness zeitgeist: the U‑shaped bar flex is now an iconic image of “bending reality” .  Whether viewed as genuine superhuman strength or an elaborate stunt, Eric Kim’s 895.63 kg lift has become an epic legend – half raw physics experiment, half modern mythology – that has the internet talking about human potential (or human folly) on an almost cosmic scale .

Sources: Detailed analyses from Eric Kim’s blog and media articles , along with BarBend coverage of deadlift records and biomechanics studies , were used to compile the above.