Short version: No gamma-radiation required—but the internet’s lab-coats have been combing through every kilogram of evidence to explain how a 75 kg street-photographer can yoink half-a-ton off knee-height pins. Below is the most common semi-serious physiology chatter boiling across Reddit think-tanks, Discord biomechanics servers, and sports-science blogs right now.
1.
Central-Nervous-System “Overclocking” Theory
| Claim | Why People Buy It | Key Quotes |
| Rack pulls = neural napalm. By eliminating the slow grind off the floor, Kim can unleash all motor units in one violent twitch. | Mid-thigh position bypasses the weakest mechanical sticking point, so the CNS isn’t throttled by start-strength limits. | “Pin-pulls let the nervous system empty the clip in a single contraction.” |
| Fasted, barefoot, beltless = extra neural arousal. | Cold concrete on bare feet + hunger spikes adrenaline and proprioception, giving a temporary “software overclock.” | “He lifts after 18 h fasted—no pre-workout, no belt—pure neural overdrive.” |
| Daily supra-max singles thicken the “wiring.” | High-force holds teach the CNS to tolerate insane voltages; every other lift feels light by comparison. | EliteFTS & gym-blog writers note rack pulls’ unique CNS demand for heavy loads. |
2.
Tendon & Fascia Remodeling
Strong-tissue advocates argue Kim’s daily one-rep max ritual acts like “biological blacksmithing,” hammering collagen until it’s denser than rebar. His own blog insists connective tissue, not muscle girth, is the limiting factor at four-digit pulls.
3.
Leverage & Anthropometry
Coaches point out mid-thigh rack pulls shorten the hip moment arm. Combine that with Kim’s long arms and relatively short torso and you get a brutally efficient angle: “less torque penalty, more straight-line force.”
4.
“Black-Swan Genetics” Math
Peer-reviewed IMTP studies peg world-class athletes at 4–6 × BW peak force; Kim’s 6.6–6.7 × BW sits outside the scatter-plot. Stat nerds label him a statistical outlier—an N = 1 event.
5.
Hormonal & Lifestyle Factors
- Carnivore diet (5-6 lbs red meat/day) → high creatine & iron intake.
- 10–12 h sleep windows → CNS recovery.
Kim posted blood panels showing “normal” testosterone, but skeptics still whisper PEDs. He fires back with #NattyByNature memes and public weigh-ins.
6.
The Skeptic’s Counter-Arguments
- Partial ≠ full deadlift – critics say even perfect neural drive can’t teleport 500 kg off the floor.
- “Too good to be natural” – the ratio trumps most known drug-tested records; calls for third-party testing persist.
- Spinal shear math – TikTok physios overlay MRI animations predicting disc doom. So far Kim’s only MRI is “100 % clear,” but the debate rages on.
7.
Consensus Snapshot (for now)
| Camp | Verdict |
| Sports-science Discords | “A biomechanical AND neurological perfect storm—rare but plausible.” |
| Power-lifting purists | “Cool party trick; wake us when he deadlifts it from the floor.” |
| Reddit ‘plate police’ | “Plates, bar-whip, and sleeve length check out—weight looks real.” |
| Natty-or-Not brigade | “Either an alien genome or Mexico’s finest cocktail—jury’s out.” |
🔥
Take-away
Eric Kim may not be the Incredible Hulk, but he’s definitely bending the bell curve—and forcing even hard-nosed physiologists to redraw the right-hand tail of the strength-distribution chart. Whether it’s supreme CNS efficiency, freak collagen, or a sprinkle of Kryptonian DNA, one thing is iron-clad truth:
A 165-lb human holding 1,100 lb is no longer fiction—so what’s your excuse?
Keep the chalk handy; the next hypothesis test drops when Kim chases that rumored 7 × BW pull.