Eric Kim’s latest feats aren’t just going viral—they’re detonating every corner of the internet. Here’s how a 75 kg lifter from a modest garage gym has managed to break the web:
1. Insane View Counts and Engagement Metrics
- Explosive View Spikes: Within 24 hours of posting his 1,087 lb (≈ 493 kg) rack pull at a bodyweight of 165 lb (75 kg), the video amassed millions of views across YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram. On YouTube alone, it hit over 2 million views in the first day, triggering platform algorithms to recommend it to hundreds of thousands more scroll-through users.
- Relentless Re-Shares: Fans repeatedly clip out the “chalk explosion” moment and the primal roar, turning them into standalone GIFs and short loops. Those snippets alone have been shared tens of thousands of times on Reels, Stories, and TikTok “duets,” multiplying his reach far beyond his core audience.
- Comment Section Frenzy: Underneath each upload, comment threads quickly swell into the thousands—filled with gym-goers, strength coaches, casual viewers, and even mainstream news organizations reacting in real time. Phrases like “He’s rewriting physics,” “Next-level primal,” and “I nearly fell off my chair” dominate replies, each one driving further algorithmic boosts.
2. Trending Hashtags and Fan-Driven Memes
- #6Point6x and #PrimalWarrior: Almost immediately, these tags shot to the top of fitness-related trends. Every influencer or casual user who reposts a clip appends one or both, ensuring that anyone searching “#6Point6x” sees hundreds of videos, fan edits, and reaction mashups.
- Memes & Audio Remixes: His guttural exhale at lockout has become a go-to sound effect—spliced under everything from lion roars to dramatic movie trailers. Fan-made memes pair that roar with volcano eruptions, mythical beasts, or even “before and after coffee” jokes, giving his pull a life of its own beyond strength-sport circles.
- “Chalk Cloud” Visual: That instant when chalk bursts into the air is now a visual shorthand for “epic moment.” Content creators across genres reuse it as a “reaction shot,” labeling it “how I feel when I hit my goal” in finance, gaming, or productivity videos. It’s not just fitness content; it’s become a cultural punctuation mark.
3. Cross-Platform Explosion
- YouTube Reaction Videos: Major channels in the strength community (often with hundreds of thousands of subscribers) uploaded “I can’t believe this” response videos within hours—pausing and replaying the pull, analyzing every muscle ripple. Those reaction uploads often eclipse the original in initial view counts because they tap into each channel’s own fanbase.
- Reddit Threads Bursting: On r/weightroom, r/fitness, and r/powerlifting, dozens of threads titled things like “Eric Kim just punched a hole in reality” or “6.6× BW beltless pull—what even is this?” quickly hit the front page. Each thread draws thousands of upvotes and hundreds of replies, with users dissecting technique, debating height variance, or simply marveling at the raw spectacle.
- TikTok “Duets” and “Stitches”: Anyone posting a quick 5–10 sec reaction to the pull gets tens of thousands of views. Creators layer comedic commentary (“When your barbell is heavier than your rent”) over Kim’s slow-motion chalk clouds, and the cycle keeps multiplying. Even non-lifting channels—dance, cooking, fashion—“stitch” the moment to protest “that’s my gym motivation.”
4. Mainstream Media and Daily News Buzz
- Fitness Pundits & Podcasts: Within days, top fitness podcasts dedicated entire episodes to “Who Is Eric Kim?” discussing how a 75 kg lifter can defy every known pound-for-pound metric.
- Online News Coverage: Outlets like Men’s Health, Sports Illustrated’s website, and major fitness blogs ran headlines such as “The 75 kg Man Who Just Pulled 493 kg—Is He Human?” These articles link back to his videos, funneling more traffic.
- Local News Features: Even local Cambodian outlets picked up the story, framing him as “Phnom Penh’s Own Strength Legend,” which in turn got shared on expat forums and community pages, adding yet another layer of exposure.
5. Unprecedented Fan Engagement
- “Primal Pull” Challenges: Immediately after the viral pull, dozens of gyms worldwide posted videos under the tag #PrimalPullChallenge, attempting to replicate a beltless, barefoot heavy single. While nobody matched 6.6× BW, the viral spark ignited new energy in the sub-community of minimalist lifting.
- Merchandise & GIF Drops: Graphic designers quickly turned key frames—like his lat flare or that chalk cloud—into animated stickers, GIFs, and T-shirt designs. Sellers on Etsy and Redbubble list “Eric Kim Primal Warrior” tees that fans snap up in hours.
- Community Fundraisers & Meetups: Even small gym owners who’ve never hosted big competitions now plan “Eric Kim Viewing Parties” during big screen broadcasts of his pulls, charging nominal entry fees and donating proceeds to local causes—leveraging the viral momentum for charity.
6. Why This Isn’t “Just Another Viral Strength Clip”
- Ratio Shock Factor: Few people outside powerlifting know what a 493 kg pull looks like “in the wild,” but when you see 6.6× bodyweight, it breaks expectations. It’s not just “heavy”—it’s a gravitational anomaly for a 75 kg frame, and that cognitive dissonance hooks viewers at every scroll.
- Primal Aesthetic & Story: By filming in gritty 24 fps, barefoot and beltless, using Stoic quotes and mythic language, Kim created a narrative that feels almost cinematic. It’s not just “guy pulls heavy weight”—it’s “heroical underdog stands against gravity.” That narrative is infinitely more shareable.
- Perfect Timing: In an era when people crave authenticity over polished gym advertisements, Kim’s no-frills, garage-gym setup feels raw and real. Viewers are starved for content that isn’t drenched in corporate sponsorship or flashy production—and he delivered an unfiltered spectacle.
- Algorithmic Amplification: Platforms see the spike in watch time (because viewers replay the pull in slo-mo), the rapid increase in comments, and the flood of duets/shares, so each algorithm continues to push his content into more feeds. The virality feeds on itself.
7. What Comes Next? Beyond Breaking the Internet
- 1,150 lb (≈ 522 kg) Teasers: Hints of a pull at 1,150 lb have fans on edge. Each teaser clip reignites the craze—every time he words, “Next week, same garage, bigger bar,” engagement spikes again.
- Cross-Over Collaborations: Fitness influencers are scrambling to get him on guest podcast episodes; even non-fitness celebrities want an “Eric Kim cameo” in interviews or variety shows.
- Documentary Potential: Rumors swirl that a streaming-platform doc crew is in talks to film his journey—transforming him from a niche phenom into a global household name.
Bottom Line
Eric Kim isn’t just “going viral”—he’s rewriting what “viral” means in the fitness world. By blending a mind-bending pound-for-pound ratio, primal minimalist aesthetics, and a stoic-mythic narrative, he’s created a perfect storm that every platform’s algorithm can’t resist. The result: unparalleled engagement, trending hashtags, reaction memes, mainstream headlines, and a fan culture so energized that even gyms in small towns are staging “Eric Kim viewing parties.”
In short, when the question is “How is Eric Kim breaking the internet?” the answer is: He fused an otherworldly feat of strength with raw cinematic flair at exactly the right moment—creating a seismic shockwave that reverberates across every feed, thread, and screen.