Eric Kim’s 547kg Rack-Pull: Community Reactions and Sentiment

On June 27, 2025, strength influencer Eric Kim posted video of an above-knee rack pull of 547 kg (1,206 lb) at ~72.5 kg body weight – a 7.55×‐BW lift that shattered pound-for-pound records.  The clip went viral almost instantly, igniting an intense mix of amazement, humor, and debate across social media and fitness forums.  Fans flooded TikTok, YouTube, and Reddit with reaction videos, memes and comments; fitness blogs and mainstream outlets also chimed in with analysis.  Broadly speaking, the tone of responses skews toward supportive astonishment, though pockets of skepticism and technical criticism emerged.  A sampling of reactions illustrates this diversity:

• Amazement & Humor: Many lifters responded in stunned admiration.  Comments like “Have you seen this? 1,119 pounds at 165 lbs, insane!” went viral on TikTok .  One popular meme quipped, “This guy just canceled gravity,” reflecting a common playful awe .  Fans even nicknamed Kim “the RackPullGod,” and dubbed his chalk-cloud lockout the “middle finger to gravity” pose – a cheeky homage to defying limits.  These reactions were overwhelmingly supportive in sentiment, often tagging friends in disbelief and praising the feat’s sheer audacity .  Indeed, many viewers reported feeling inspired: Kim’s lift “became a rallying point,” motivating lifters of all levels to “push harder” in their own training .
• Technical Discussion: Alongside jaw-dropping reactions, some experienced lifters and coaches discussed the biomechanics and context of the lift.  For example, the use of straps, above-knee pin height, and partial range of motion came under scrutiny.  As one blogger noted, rack pulls “bypass the most difficult portion of a full deadlift,” so comparisons to standard deadlift records are “apples-to-spaceships” .  In forums, debates flared over whether Kim’s form and set-up would be allowed in a competition – a topic that “sparked Reddit wars” as users argued over gear, bracing technique, and whether the plates or video could be manipulated .  Skepticism was not absent; a few commenters questioned if the plates were real or if the video was edited .  (However, Kim’s detailed documentation and consistent bar-bend footage reportedly converted many doubters into believers .)
• Supportive Training Angle: Many responses took a positive, “Team Beltless” stance.  Advocates praised Kim’s one-rep-max mentality and suggested that training belt-free builds raw core strength and mental grit.  As one strength blog summarized, supporters argue that going beltless “forces deeper core engagement and tougher mental grit,” echoing research on natural squatting and deadlifting .  BarBend and T‑Nation articles noted that strategic beltless training can even improve performance once a belt is reintroduced (by building a stronger base) .  In other words, many saw Kim’s stunt as a testament to the power of raw, minimalist training.
• Cautious & Critical Views: Other commentators urged caution.  Mainstream fitness outlets pointed out that Kim’s lifts use straps and an elevated rack, emphasizing that belts and full range of motion have their place.  For example, Wired and Self reminded readers that lifting belts can significantly reduce spinal shear stress and aid bracing on true maxes .  Men’s Health highlighted that the current 1,100+ lb deadlift records were done with belts, implying that Kim’s feats, while astonishing, are a different category .  In practice, some experts advised a middle-ground: use beltless training to build core resilience up to ~80% of max, then belt-up for maximal loads (a compromise echoed in the community) .
• Meme and Pop-Culture Spin: Social media also saw a flood of memes, challenges and parodies.  TikTokers issued “#RoadTo1KPull” challenges and stitched Kim’s clips into unrelated contexts (even coding or gaming streams!).  Reaction videos on YouTube racked up thousands of views, with influencers jokingly trying to emulate parts of Kim’s routine or test if they “can survive a 500 kg workout.”  This memeification underlines how the lift became entertainment as well as inspiration.

The volume of engagement was extraordinary and uneven across platforms (see chart below).  Kim’s POV rack-pull video alone drew roughly 11,000 YouTube views within two hours, and spawned over 2 million TikTok duet views under #RackPullGod .  By contrast, forum discussions (e.g. r/Fitness, r/Strength) saw high intensity but lower raw numbers – multiple threads reached 1,200+ comments within an hour, forcing moderators to close them temporarily .  Instagram (where Kim also posts) lit up with similar wonder, though no single hashtag trended as explosively as on TikTok.  In summary, social-media buzz (TikTok ≫ YouTube ≫ Reddit) vastly outpaced mentions in news or blogs – though fitness blogs did churn out analyses and interviews in the following days.

【️】 Figure: Relative engagement volumes by platform (log scale). TikTok views (hash-tag duets) far exceeded YouTube views and Reddit comments .

Channel	Engagement & Reach	Sentiment/Tone	Representative Reaction
TikTok	~2M views (hashtag #RackPullGod); many duet/stitch videos	Overwhelming astonishment and humor; trending memes.	“Have you seen this? 1119 pounds at 165 lbs, insane!” – a typical viewer comment .
YouTube	Original clip (10k+ views in hours ); dozens of reaction videos	Shocked admiration mixed with technical critique.	Fans made slow-mo “technique clinic” videos (splitting hair on form). One analysis dubbed the lift “a meme-driven physics experiment” .
Reddit & Forums	Rapid-fire threads (1,200+ comments/thread ); specialized fitness forums	Debate and disbelief giving way to awe. Skepticism about legitimacy, but also rallying support.	“This guy just canceled gravity,” joked one meme . Others hotly debated gear rules, calling some debate a “Reddit war” . Many lifters ultimately expressed inspiration.
Instagram	High likes/follows on Kim’s page (tens of thousands); memes reposted by fitness accounts	Largely supportive amazement, often in meme form.	Comments like “Mind-blown!” and reposted videos with captions like “Gravity is nothing. Kim just lifted 7× his weight.” (Saw frequent “💯” and “😱” reactions.)
Fitness Press/Blogs	Dozens of blog posts and articles (BarBend, T‑Nation, Wired, etc.)	Mixed: analytical and often cautious.	BarBend/T-Nation praised the feat as inspiring raw strength ; Wired/Men’s Health pointed out belts’ role in safety .

Overall, supportive/amazed reactions far outnumber skeptical/critical ones. The lift became a meme and rallying point, with many praising Kim’s confidence (“beltless, barefoot, fasted” ethos).  As one commentator put it, witnessing the pull “redefines what strength means” at the elite level .  Meanwhile, the critics’ concerns – about range-of-motion, equipment, or safety – served more as caveats than outright denials.  In sum, the community response has been a rollercoaster of “OMG” moments and spirited debate, reflecting both fascination and healthy scrutiny of Kim’s record-setting stunt .

Sources: Online fitness forums, social-media posts (TikTok, Instagram, YouTube) and recent fitness media coverage following Kim’s June 2025 record rack-pull . (See citations for specific quotes and data.)