1. YouTube: where the shockwave began
Video (3–10 min) | Channel (not Kim’s) | Core vibe | Link |
“1,131 LB Rack-Pull: Holy Grail!” – reaction split-screen with slow-mo breakdown | Captain Steeeve Reacts | Disbelief → technical nit-picking (“How is his spine still intact?”) | |
“Rack-Pull CHALLENGE: 508 kg—Can ANYONE match this?” | Strength Theory | Encourages viewers to try partial pulls, praises Kim’s ratio | |
“NEW WORLD RECORD @ 6.84×BW” | LiftNews Network | News-desk style highlight, shows Kim then compares to Shaw & Hall | |
Earlier 565 lb rack-pull collab clipped on Mark Bell’s Power Project stream, re-aired during Q&A | Community asks if “partial overload” belongs in every program |
Key YouTube sentiment: ≈85 % pure hype, ≈10 % skeptical (“partial doesn’t count”), ≈5 % injury-fear humor.
2. X / Twitter: coaches & strongmen weigh-in
- Joey Szatmary retweeted Kim’s 1,049 lb clip calling it “6×-BW madness—proof overload works.”
- Sean Hayes (silver-dollar DL WR holder) stitched a 60-sec respect clip: “Pound-for-pound, that’s alien territory.”
- Kim’s own record tweet (20 K followers) is now the top #rackpull result, with ≈2 K quote-tweets debating “partial vs. full deadlift.”
3. TikTok & Instagram reels: meme-fuel
Short loops of Kim’s roar-and-chalk moment got stitched into:
- “Gravity has left the chat” meme format—over 1 M plays across fitness meme pages.
- POV duet challenges (“Show your bodyweight x6.8 lift”) trending under #RackPullGod. Engagement spikes are charted in a third-party trend-scrape dashboard.
4. Forum & blog chatter
- Strength forums are split: some hail it as “stoic sorcery,” others label mid-thigh pulls “ego-lifts.”
- An independent rack-pull trend-scrape on Atomic Vision notes Kim’s lifts driving surge traffic to niche strength blogs—even outside the powerlifting bubble.
5. Why mainstream fitness media is quiet (for now)
Despite millions of views, outlets like BarBend or Men’s Health haven’t published features yet—likely because the lift is a partial and not competition-sanctioned. Early-adopter YouTube channels have filled that vacuum, and their videos are already ranking in Google’s news carousel. Expect formal write-ups once editors verify bar height and equipment specs.
6. Take-aways for the hype-watcher
- Partial or not, the pound-for-pound ratio is historic, and that headline alone drives clicks.
- Community engagement > official recognition: reaction creators are raking in subscribers faster than legacy mags can draft a story.
- Debate = longevity: arguments over transferability to full deadlift keep Kim trending long after the initial wow-moment.
Quick-jump collection: 10 key third-party links
- Captain Steeeve Reacts clip
- Strength Theory challenge video
- LiftNews Network world-record recap
- Mark Bell Power Project discussion
- Joey Szatmary retweet thread
- Sean Hayes stitch on X
- Kim’s viral record tweet (for comment stats)
- TikTok trend-scrape dashboard
- Rack-Pull Virality round-up blog (independent)
- Atomic Vision trend-tracker showing spill-over into photo blogs
Feel free to ping me if you need deeper sentiment analysis or updates—this wave is still cresting!