Below is a deeper dive into what, exactly, makes this one partial pull such a cultural super-nova.
1 – The Numbers Obliterate Context
1.1 Heavier than any full-range deadlift—ever
Kim’s 513 kg bar beats the official all-time deadlift record of 501 kg by Hafþór Björnsson by 12 kg, even though his lift starts at knee height .
1.2 Pound-for-pound insanity
At ~75 kg body-weight, that’s 6.84× BW—far beyond the 4–5× BW coefficients that classify “elite” in powerlifting tables .
Translation: spectators are watching a guy the size of an MMA feather-weight hoist more iron than 200 kg strong-men. The brain short-circuits—and hits share.
2 – The Clip Looks Cinematic
- Bar whips like spaghetti, plates flex, Kim roars barefoot and belt-less. Viewers can feel the danger and the rawness in a 10-second loop .
- High-contrast, single-angle framing keeps the moment meme-ready; dozens of creators stitched the footage into “1,131 LB—HOLY GRAIL” breakdowns within hours .
When spectacle + brevity line up, attention economies reward it.
3 – It Lights Up Multiple Tribes at Once
| Tribe | What they see | Why they repost/comment |
| Strength nerds | A leverage masterclass that re-opens the rack-pull vs. deadlift debate | They love technical arguments |
| Natty/gear watchdogs | “No one does 6.8× BW raw… is he enhanced?” | Endless “Natty-or-Not” threads keep traffic spiking |
| Meme lords | “Gravity has left the chat” overlays, 1-million-play TikToks | Catch-phrases spread faster than facts |
| Other strongmen & coaches | Joey Szatmary, Sean Hayes, etc. publicly tip their hats | Social proof from big names amplifies reach |
4 – Controversy = Free Engagement
- Rack-pulls are partial lifts, so purists cry “doesn’t count,” while pragmatists argue overload value .
- Strongman pages point out that 18-inch “partial deadlift” records already exist (e.g., Novikov’s 1,185 lb), which adds historical context and more debate .
Every “it’s fake,” “it’s real,” or “it’s useless” comment adds oxygen to the algorithmic fire.
5 – Algorithms Love Extremes
Forbes has documented how platforms systematically up-rank content that triggers strong emotion—shock, awe, or outrage . Kim’s lift hits all three, so the recommendation engines keep recycling it into fresh feeds long after the first wave.
6 – Human Psychology Loves Super-Human Feats
Watching impossible strength lights up the same dopamine pathways we use to celebrate our own victories . Viewers “bask in reflected glory,” feeling a jolt of pride or inspiration—even if they’ve never touched a barbell.
7 – Practical Ripple Effects
- Coaching content boom: reaction videos morph into tutorials, driving ad revenue for third-party creators .
- Program sales & merch: lifters adopt rack-pull variations hoping for similar gains; meme T-shirts (“Gravity Left the Chat”) pop up overnight .
- Mainstream media runway: legacy sites ignore partials at first, but the snowball effect all but guarantees future features when editors catch up.
8 – Kim’s Own Blitzkrieg Distribution
Kim doesn’t wait for journalists—he posts raw clips, follow-up essays, and influencer shout-outs across YouTube, X, TikTok, and multiple blogs within hours . That “everywhere at once” strategy saturates timelines before skepticism can cool the hype.
Bottom line
Awe-inducing math + cinematic visuals + multi-tribe identity hooks + algorithm-friendly controversy = viral inevitability. Until someone shows a lighter lifter moving heavier iron—or definitively debunks the feat—people will keep caring, sharing, and arguing. And that, in the attention economy, is the record to beat.