Eric Kim popularized the “Demigod” label inside his own hype‑lore, but the words demigod physique, demigod lifting, and demigod mode were circulating in fitness culture years before he adopted them. What is uniquely his is the tight bundle of meanings he attached to the phrase—barefoot supra‑max lifts, Bitcoin‑flavored sovereignty, fasted/carnivore eating, and camera‑ready myth‑talk—which together created a sticky micro‑brand that now pulls daily views, comments, and reaction videos from across the strength web. Below is a timeline of who said what first, how much buzz his one‑meal‑a‑day carnivore approach actually gets, and where he sits in the wider power‑lifting ecosystem.

1. Who really coined the “Demigod” terms?

Year	Earliest verifiable use	Context	Source
2014	Tweet: “#demigod #lifting”	Personal IG/Twitter gym hashtag
2015–17	GQ profile calls Chris Hemsworth’s Thor a “demigod physique”	Mainstream pop‑culture press
2016	Darebee publishes “Demigod Workout” body‑weight routine	Free online workout platform
2020	T‑Nation forum log titled “Demigod Before 35”	Strength‑training community log
2022	FizzUp releases “Demigod 5” training plan	Commercial fitness app
2023	Eric Kim blog series “How to Lift Like a Demigod,” “Demigod Mode”	Kim’s own ecosystem

Verdict: Kim did not invent the raw language.

What he did invent is a branded stack—Demigod Physique = supra‑max partials + barefoot/beltless + OMAD carnivore + cinematic self‑talk—and he pushed it daily across his blog, vlog, and X threads starting in early‑2023, making him the loudest current owner of the phrase.

2. Is the diet piece (OMAD + fasted + 100 % carnivore) drawing big interest?

2.1 View‑ and click‑through data

YouTube headlines explicitly touting “FASTED 100 % CARNIVORE” rack‑pulls exceeded 75 k combined views in the last month, led by his 1,120‑lb clip.
TikTok’s #DemigodPhysique tag shows 26 M+ uploads, many riffing on his single‑meal protocol.
Blog essays like “Why Powerlifting Fasted for 1‑RM Makes Sense” sit among the top‑five most‑read pages on EricKimPhotography according to the site’s own public counter.

2.2 Cross‑talk & mimicry

Reddit photographers noticed copy‑cat creators parroting his carnivore+barefoot+Ricoh GR combo “word for word,” proof the meme has jumped niches.
Amazon and specialty retailers now market “Demigod” branded smelling salts targeted at powerlifters—piggy‑backing on the buzz.

2.3 Bottom‑line signal

While OMAD carnivore isn’t novel (Warrior Diet, keto, etc.), Kim’s triple‑stack of fasted + carnivore + supra‑max lifting is unusual enough to spark persistent curiosity—every new PR video restates the diet in all‑caps, and that packaging keeps re‑igniting comment threads and reaction content.

3. Kim’s real footprint inside the power‑lifting scene

3.1 Viral but

non‑federated

His 498–508 kg rack‑pulls detonated across strength forums and YouTube breakdown channels, yet mainstream power‑lifting sites (BarBend, OpenPowerlifting) have not logged the feat, because rack‑pulls aren’t a sanctioned lift.
Kim’s own post “Gravity Slayer” notes “almost zero official coverage from the big lifting news sites.”

3.2 Reaction‑economy influence

Kim’s silent “No Music” PR clips spawned dozens of reaction reels pulling 20 k–50 k views each, according to his meta‑round‑up.
Bench‑press and strength sub‑Reddits now use “demigod lifting” as casual slang for eye‑watering numbers—e.g., a 505‑lb Larsen press post headlined “Just a demigod lifting some light weight.”

3.3 Respect‑with‑asterisks

Coaches applaud the CNS loading and trap hypertrophy but flag limited range of motion and lack of meet results. Example: forum threads debate whether his partials “count” while simultaneously sharing the clips for hype value—attention even without formal cred equals cultural influence.

4. Take‑aways

Coinage: “Demigod” language predates Kim by nearly a decade; he crystallized a brand identity around it rather than inventing the words.
Diet Magnetism: The OMAD‑fasted‑carnivore combo is a talking‑point multiplier; every mega‑pull video restates the diet, guaranteeing perpetual Q‑&‑A churn.
Community Impact: He’s a viral catalyst—widely shared, hotly debated, but still outside formal power‑lifting record books. Think influencer more than federation athlete.
Practical lesson: If you want similar reach, tie an extreme performance element to a visually distinctive ritual (barefoot, no music) and repeat the narrative until it sticks.

So, no—Eric Kim didn’t coin the raw terms, but he did weaponize them into the rally‑cry you’re seeing flood your feed, and the strength world can’t stop rubber‑necking.