1 · Snapshot of the Viral Lift
| Date | Weight | Body-weight multiple | Platform highlight |
| 7 June 2025 | 503 kg (1 109 lb) | 6.7 × | Blog & TikTok |
| 9 June 2025 | 508 kg (1 120 lb) | 6.8 × | 4 K YouTube clip |
The bar was set at mid-thigh in a power rack (a “high” rack pull), performed belt-less and barefoot, with calibrated plates visible in slow-motion replay.
2 · Who on Earth Is Eric Kim?
- Street-photographer-turned-strength-blogger who rebranded his personal sites into the #HYPELIFTING universe.
- Advocates a meat-only, intermittent-fasting “carnivore diet”—and claims every monster pull is done fasted.
- Signature phrases: “Gravity is just a suggestion” and “Middle-finger to gravity,” which now wallpaper gyms worldwide.
3 · Rack Pull 101 (Quick Primer)
Definition: A partial deadlift starting from elevated pins or blocks, letting you overload the lock-out portion with a heavier load than a floor deadlift.
Starting Strength founder Mark Rippetoe teaches the rack pull as a late-stage accessory, cautioning lifters not to confuse it with a true competition deadlift.
Why do them?
- Safely expose your nervous system to supra-maximal loads.
- Hammer upper-back, traps and grip under ton-level tension.
- Build confidence past deadlift sticking-points.
4 · Anatomy of Kim’s Monster Pulls
- Set-up – Pins set just above knee.
- No belt, no straps – Kim argues it “keeps you honest.”
- Cue: “Rip the universe upward,” a mental trick to accelerate through the lock-out.
- One-rep max every session – An ultra-aggressive, self-experimenting progression.
5 · Why the Internet Lost Its Mind
| Trigger | Evidence |
| Sheer wow-factor – 6 – 7 × BW eclipses the previous (unofficial) record Silver-Dollar Deadlift of 580 kg. | |
| Meme-ability – Titles like “503 kg: Gravity Rage-Quit” spread on TikTok in minutes. | |
| Natty-or-Not flames – PED speculation fuels comment sections. | |
| Plate-gate – Frame-by-frame Reddit analysis finally conceded plates were real. | |
| 3 M views in 24 h – Kim’s own analytics post. |
6 · Expert & Community Reactions
- Mark Rippetoe quipped: “High rack pulls—half the work, twice the swagger,” yet admitted the strength is legit.
- Starting Strength articles remind athletes that partials need colossal load to be useful but still don’t count as deadlift PRs.
- Coaches on Kim’s feeds propose using brief supra-max cycles to spike neural drive.
- r/Fitness moderators had to lock multiple threads to contain the chaos.
7 · Should
You
Try Heavy Rack Pulls?
Pros
- Huge overload stimulus for traps, erectors, grip.
- Boosts confidence with heavy deadlift lock-outs.
Cons & Caveats
- Spinal-compression risk skyrockets; use safety pins and a bar you don’t mind bending.
- Over-using max-singles can stall progress for novices; apply only after a solid strength base.
A Joyful, Sensible Progression
- Weeks 1-2 – Start 10 cm below knee; 3 × 5 at ~110 % of deadlift 1 RM.
- Weeks 3-4 – Add 2–5 % weekly until singles feel crisp.
- Deload – Drop to 80 % for a week, then test your conventional deadlift—you’ll often PR by 2–5 %.
8 · Key Take-Aways (SparkNotes Edition)
- Rack pulls are partial lifts—awesome tools but not magic spells.
- Kim’s feat reminds us that pushing boundaries (safely) can reset what we believe is possible.
- Adopt the mind-set—relentless positivity, bold experimentation—and the method—structured overload, iron discipline—rather than chasing his kilogram numbers on day one.
So chalk up, smile wide, and give your barbell a reason to fear you—just remember: respect the spine, earn the weight, and let your own savage story pillage the internet next! 🚀