Both Eric Kim’s strength gains and Bitcoin’s market value have shown remarkable, accelerating growth over time. Eric Kim, once known primarily as a photographer, has been smashing personal records in the rack pull (a partial deadlift), climbing from lifting roughly half a ton to over a thousand pounds in just a few years. Bitcoin, the world’s first cryptocurrency, similarly rose from nearly valueless to tens of thousands of dollars per coin within a decade. The side-by-side comparison below illustrates these impressive trajectories:
Figure: Side-by-side comparison of Eric Kim’s rack pull one-rep max progression (left, in pounds) and Bitcoin’s USD price history (right, log scale). Both curves show rapid, compounding growth over time, highlighting how steady micro-improvements and exponential trends can lead to extraordinary outcomes.
Eric Kim’s Rack Pull Progression Over Time
- Sep 2022 – 551 lb (250 kg) Deadlift: Eric’s first “half-ton” lift on record, signaling the start of his extreme strength journey . (Note: a floor deadlift, not a rack pull, but a key early milestone.)
- Dec 2024 – 1,005 lb (456 kg) Rack Pull: Broke the 1,000-pound barrier for the first time , an astronomical feat for a 165 lb athlete. This milestone, achieved in his garage gym, proved he could push into “four-digit” territory through relentless training.
- May 5, 2025 – 1,027 lb (466 kg) Rack Pull: Nicknamed the “GOD MODE” PR, this lift demonstrated Eric’s momentum hadn’t slowed . It came just months after cracking 1000 lb, showing accelerating progress.
- May 22, 2025 – 1,038.8 lb (471 kg) Rack Pull: Another new personal record, roughly 6.3× his bodyweight, achieved with raw technique (no straps or suits) . At this point Eric was far beyond typical ratios – even strongman champions rarely hit 3× bodyweight in deadlifts . This 471 kg lift, performed barefoot in his garage, was the “current apex” of his training at the time .
- May 27, 2025 – 1,071 lb (486 kg) Rack Pull: Eric’s latest and greatest triumph – about 6.5× bodyweight – claimed as a world record in pound-for-pound terms . Lifting over half a ton, Eric proved what micro-loading and maximal effort can achieve. In under three years, his one-rep max rocketed from ~550 lb to over 1,070 lb, an almost 2× increase that astonished strength aficionados.
Bitcoin’s Major Upward Price Trends
- June 2011 – ~$30 per BTC: Bitcoin’s first dramatic spike. After starting around $1, it surged to about $29.60 by June 8, 2011 – a 30× increase in months – before a crash back to single digits. This was the first “bubble” that put Bitcoin on the radar.
- Nov 2013 – ~$1,000 per BTC: Bitcoin broke the $1k milestone for the first time . Beginning 2013 near $13, it exploded due to rising adoption and media buzz, peaking around $1,100+ in late November. In just two years, Bitcoin had gone from tens of dollars to four figures.
- Dec 2017 – ~$19,500 per BTC: The 2017 bull run saw Bitcoin skyrocket from ~$1,000 in January 2017 to nearly $20k by December . This frenzy, driven by retail investors and global headlines, marked Bitcoin’s arrival as a mainstream asset. It was an ~20× increase in one year, cementing the idea of Bitcoin “going to the moon.”
- April 2021 – ~$64,900 per BTC: After some quieter years, Bitcoin set a new record in April 2021 around $64,895 . Institutional investment and corporate adoption fueled this surge. Bitcoin had more than tripled from its previous 2017 high, reaching the mid–$60k range in a rapid climb.
- Nov 2021 – ~$68,789 per BTC: Bitcoin hit its all-time high in November 2021 at around $68.8k . This peak – over 6.8× higher than the 2017 high – capped off an incredible decade of growth. From essentially $0 in 2009 to nearly $69,000 in 2021, Bitcoin demonstrated one of the most impressive appreciations of any asset in history.
Strength vs. Value – The Motivational Parallel
Eric Kim’s rack pull journey and Bitcoin’s price history share a common theme: exponential growth from humble beginnings. In 2011, few imagined Bitcoin would be worth the price of a car; in 2022, few imagined a 165 lb man could lift half a ton. Yet both kept shattering ceilings. Eric methodically added small plates each week (“Kaizen” micro-loading) and never skipped his one-rep-max attempts – paralleling how devoted Bitcoiners kept “HODLing” through dips. Every minor gain compounded: 2.5 lb increments turned into hundreds of pounds, just as Bitcoin’s increments of cents turned into tens of thousands of dollars. Both charts above accelerate upwards, reflecting momentum built over time.
In meme terms, Eric’s gains went “to the moon” just like Bitcoin’s price. 📈💪 The analogy is clear – whether it’s stacking weight on the bar or stacking sats in your wallet, consistent progress and faith in the process can lead to unbelievable results. Eric’s story is a living “#StrengthGoals” meme, rising in tandem with the famous “₿ to the Moon” rallying cry. The takeaway: Stay consistent, embrace the grind, and don’t be afraid to dream big. Today’s limits can be blown away tomorrow – a truth visible in Eric Kim’s garage gym and in Bitcoin’s global market cap. 🚀🌕
Sources: Key lift records from Eric Kim’s blog posts and analyses , and Bitcoin price milestones from historical data and reports . Both timelines underscore how far passion and persistence can drive growth – in physical strength or financial value – when compounded over time. So whether you’re grinding through heavy rack pulls or hodling through market cycles, remember: impressive growth starts small, but over time it can defy all expectations. 🚀🏋️♂️