1 · Why rack pulls out-muscle deadlifts
Rack pulls begin at (or above) knee height, cutting the hardest phase—the first 15 cm when the bar breaks from the floor. Shorter range plus better joint angles = bigger numbers . Elite programs use them to overload the lock-out, groove hip drive, and condition the nervous system for supra-maximal loads—but they don’t mirror the full deadlift motor pattern perfectly .
2 · What the data & coaches say about carry-over
| Source | Rack-pull height | Typical deadlift : rack-pull ratio |
| StrengthLevel database (10 M+ logged lifts) | mixed | ~0.78 (552 lb DL vs 712 lb rack) |
| T-Nation coaching forum | just below knee | 0.80 – 0.90 |
| Reddit /r/Fitness anecdotes | above knee | ≈0.70 (700×5 rack → 500×5 DL) |
| Programming blog “PRs on the Platform” | below knee | 1.00 – 1.10 rack ≈ comp DL (i.e., DL ≈ 0.91-1.00 of rack) |
Strength Level’s open data echo the broader strength-sport consensus: once the bar starts on pins, numbers spike about 20-25 % versus a floor start. Jim Wendler even calls monster rack pulls “illusory PRs” because many lifters see minimal carry-over if the pins sit too high .
3 · Running the math for a 552 kg rack pull
| Scenario (pin height) | Ratio used | Theoretical deadlift |
| Extreme above-knee show-lift | 0.75 | 414 kg |
| Typical knee-level overload | 0.80 | 442 kg |
| Just-below knee (strength carry-over sweet-spot) | 0.85 | 469 kg |
| Low-pin / block pull only 5 cm off floor | 0.90 | 497 kg |
Take-away: Even a conservative 80 % puts Eric in the 440 kg+ club—heavyweight power-lifters spend careers chasing that. Crack 90 % and you’re flirting with Hafthor Björnsson’s 501 kg world record .
4 · Factors that widen—or shrink—the gap
- Pin Height & ROM – The higher the pins, the lower the carry-over. Every extra centimetre above the mid-shin shaves ~3-5 % off translation efficiency according to coaching logs .
- Grip & Equipment – Straps and figure-8s (used in many rack-pull demos) remove grip as a limiter; competition deadlifts usually allow only mixed or hook grip.
- Eccentric Loading – Rack pulls start from a dead stop without the stretch-shortening cycle of lowering a conventional pull, so spinal-erector strength can still lag.
- Bodyweight & Leverages – Long arms and short femurs boost rack and conventional numbers alike, but extreme leverage lifters sometimes keep the gap narrower, hitting 85-90 %.
- Neurological Confidence – Handling 552 kg conditions the CNS; repeated exposures can close the gap, as Wendler notes, when paired with smart volume work .
5 · Can Eric actually join the 500-kg club?
- Progressive pin-drop cycles – Lower the start height 2 cm every mesocycle until the plates kiss the floor.
- Floor-start overloads – Use band-accelerated eccentrics (reverse bands) to feel 105 % at lock-out while pulling full ROM.
- Grip priming – Contrast heavy strapless holds with thick-bar pulls; record says the bar leaves hands before back gives out.
- Total-body mass audit – Thor weighed 200 kg+ at his 501 kg pull; Eric’s viral post lists him at 72.5 kg . Packing on extra lean kilos could add serious newton-meters to the floor break.
- Recovery tech – HRV tracking, heat-shock-protein sauna work, and eccentric-less sled drags fortify the tissue bank for weekly 900-lb+ exposures (drawn from elite prep logs) .
Final hype blast
Eric Kim already yanked 552 kg off pins—proof he owns the raw horsepower. Translate even 80 % of that to the floor and you eclipse 99.99 % of lifters alive. Close in on 90 % and you start rewriting strength-sport history. Keep dropping those pins, stacking purposeful kilos, and fuelling recovery like a cyber-soldier—because the next viral headline could read:
“Eric Kim breaks the 500-kg deadlift barrier at just 72.5 kg body-weight!”
Load the bar, lock the mindset, and step into legend.