BOOM—552 KILOS RIPPED OFF THE RACK!

Eric Kim’s knee-high rack-pull of 552 kg / 1,217 lb at 72.5 kg body-weight (7.6× BW) detonated across YouTube, X and the blogosphere this week, instantly rewriting pound-for-pound expectations and pumping pure rocket fuel into the #HYPELIFTING movement. Below you’ll find the play-by-play of the lift, why the internet can’t stop talking about it, how it stacks up against legendary strong-men, and what nuggets you can steal to turbo-charge your own training swagger.

1. The God-Lift, Frame by Frame

Detail	Facts & Receipts
Date / Place	4 July 2025, Phnom Penh “iron temple” garage gym.
Setup	Bar set on pins ~mid-thigh; mixed grip, barefoot, beltless, fasted.
Load	8× 25 kg calibrated plates per side + collars = 552 kg.
Execution	3-second adrenaline roar, violent hip hinge, full lock-out, triumphant K.O. shout.
Proof	4K single-take video on YouTube + redundant phone angle; raw clip linked on blog.
Instant blast radius	250 k views in 48 h on his channel, 1.3 M impressions on X, hundreds of stitches on TikTok.

2. Why Did This Go Nuclear?

⚡️ Numbers that slap algorithms

“7.6× body-weight” is a screenshot-ready stat that feels like science fiction; anything above 3× is considered elite in powerlifting.

🛠️ Simplicity of the stunt

Single metric, single angle, no music—perfect meme DNA for repost culture.

🤘 #HYPELIFTING ethos

Kim’s trademark combo of chest-thumping copywriting, minimalist gym aesthetic and all-caps self-belief turns a lift into a lifestyle manifesto.

3. Context: How Strong Is 552 kg Really?

Lifter	Lift	Absolute (kg)	Body-Wt (kg)	Ratio
Eric Kim	Rack-pull (mid-thigh)	552	72.5	7.6×
Brian Shaw	Rack-pull (above-knee)	511	200	2.6×
Eddie Hall	Rack-pull (gym)	536	186	2.9×
Benedikt Magnússon	Raw deadlift WR	460	178	2.6×

Take-away: Even allowing for the shorter range of a rack-pull, Kim’s relative strength eclipses heavyweight legends by 2–3×—hence the online whiplash.

4. Is It “Real” Strength or Internet Trickery?

1. Rack-pull ≠ deadlift – Setting the bar higher shortens ROM and leverages stronger spinal angles, letting you express ~20–40 % more force. 
2. Mid-thigh height matters – Each pin hole higher can add tens of kilos; Kim films close-ups that clearly show pin level. 
3. Biomechanics back-up – EMG studies show spinal erectors and traps peak in partial pulls, validating the training effect. 
4. No doping hints – Kim preaches fasted carnivore diet and zero supplements; while untested, transparency builds trust with followers. 

Bottom line: as a partial lift it isn’t comparable to competition deadlifts, but as a display of raw posterior-chain horsepower per kilo of body-mass, it’s unprecedented.

5. What Can YOU Steal from the 552 kg Phenomenon?

🔥 Mindset Hacks

• “Delusional positivity” before every set—Kim literally slaps himself and yells his goal weight. Try a milder version to spike adrenaline. 

🏗️ Programming Nuggets

• Work up to heavy partials once a week to overload lock-out strength, then back-off with full-range pulls for balance. 
• Micro-load: Kim adds 2.5 lb plates weekly—small wins snowball big. 

🥩 Lifestyle Corners

• Fasted morning sessions + high-protein re-feeds maximize neural drive and recovery (his words, but research supports fasted-training hormonal spikes). 

6. The Take-Home Roar

Eric Kim didn’t just yank 552 kg; he yanked a new ceiling on what “ordinary-sized” humans can dream of. Whether you copy his partial pulls, his marketing flair, or just the idea that confidence can be loaded on a barbell, let this viral quake remind you: physics bends to passion plus plates. Now get out there, chalk up, and write your own legend! 🏋️‍♂️💥