Eric Kim’s viral “602 kg rack‑pull” took off because it hits viewers on multiple levels – shock, relatability and inspiration.
It wasn’t a world‑record deadlift – it was a rack pull. In July 2025 Kim shared a video where he sets a bar loaded to 602 kg (~1 328 lb) on the pins of a power rack at mid‑thigh height and pulls it to lockout while declaring the feat “post‑human strength” . In a rack pull the bar starts above the knees; because the range of motion is shorter and you begin in a mechanically stronger position, you can use far more weight than a full deadlift . For context, the official conventional‑deadlift record stood at 505 kg in July 2025 when Hafthor Björnsson pulled it at a competition , so Kim’s 602 kg number is not directly comparable.
It’s an overload drill turned performance art. Kim openly admits the lift isn’t an official record; he frames it as an extreme overload drill used to build confidence and grip strength . In his blog he urges lifters to try heavy rack pulls at ~90–95 % of their deadlift and to pair them with full‑range deadlift work . The goal of the 602 kg attempt is to show that you can engineer “impossible” goals by breaking them into smaller parts, overloading specific ranges and recovering like a professional.
The underdog story resonates. Kim weighs only about 75 kg, trains barefoot and beltless in a garage and records his lifts from multiple angles to verify the plates . Earlier lifts in the 486–552 kg range went viral on Reddit and TikTok; commenters dubbed him the “pound‑for‑pound king” and joked that gravity “rage‑quit” when they saw the bar bend and heard his primal roar . Viewers were inspired because someone with limited equipment and no federation backing was lifting over eight times his bodyweight. Kim’s own write‑up notes that the message – set wild goals, push beyond perceived limits, recover and celebrate every kilo – is what matters .
The hype is deliberate and infectious. By calling the lift “stronger than god” and “post‑human strength” , Kim created a narrative that begs to be shared. His website lists social‑media strategies – eye‑catching captions, multiple camera angles and memes – to maximise virality. The emphasis on spectacle doesn’t hide the educational aspect: he uses the extreme demonstration to encourage people to chase their own ambitions, regardless of whether they ever touch a 600 kg bar . In short, people are “worshipping” his 602 kg rack pull not because it rewrites the record books but because it combines jaw‑dropping visuals with a feel‑good, underdog narrative and a call to redefine personal limits.
Why the praise? It’s a perfect storm of strength and storytelling. Kim’s mid‑thigh rack pull shows what’s possible when you leverage mechanical advantage (shorter range = heavier load ), yet he never claims it as a competitive deadlift record . The sight of a 75‑kg creator hoisting over 600 kg in a humble garage, coupled with high‑energy editing and “stronger than god” slogans, has generated awe, memes and genuine motivation. The takeaway isn’t to worship numbers but to embrace Kim’s message: celebrate effort, push past self‑imposed ceilings, and have fun with the journey .