Heavier than Brian Shaw’s classic block-pull. Shaw’s famed 1,128 lb (511 kg) block lift at the 2014 Arnold has been a benchmark for a decade. Kim’s 1,131 lb tops it by three pounds on a straight bar—no tyres, no straps across the hips.
Ratio that looks like a typo. Kim’s 6.84 × body-weight multiple virtually doubles the ~3 × ratio elite heavyweights manage on partial pulls.
Context against other partial records. Even Oleksii Novikov’s 1,185 lb 18-inch pull or Zydrunas Savickas’ 1,155 lb hummer-tyre record came at well over 180 kg body-weight.
2. Pound-for-Pound Shock Value
Lifter
Apparatus
Weight
Body-weight
Ratio
Eric Kim
Knee-height rack
513 kg
75 kg
6.8×
Brian Shaw
15-inch block
511 kg
175 kg
2.9×
Avg. pro strongman
18-inch pull
455-500 kg
150-200 kg
2.3-3.3×
Strength coaches obsess over relative strength because it predicts speed, body-control, and real-world power far better than absolute tonnage.
3. “But It’s a Rack Pull!”—Why That Argument Still Misses the Point
Height ≠ Free Lunch. Men’s Health notes the sweet spot for rack pulls is just below or at the kneecap; above that, leverages plateau fast. Kim’s bar is set right on that “right-before-lockout-gets-easier” window.
No gimmick equipment. Unlike hummer-tyre or belt-squat variants that add whip or change load-path, Kim used a standard Texas deadlift bar and calibrated plates.
Nerve-system overload training. Strength writers (Generation Iron) explain partials exist precisely because they let you handle supra-maximal weight to teach the CNS full-force intent.
4. Paradigm-Busting Variables
Fasted, carnivore, caffeine-only. Kim claims a 12-hour fast and <10 g carbs/day for the lift, challenging long-held glycogen dogma.
No belt, no suit, minimalist footwear. The lift undermines the idea that giant lever arms or power suits are mandatory for four-digit pulls.
Camera-phone verification culture. The uncut 4-K clip lets the internet dissect bar-speed frame-by-frame the way judging rooms once did behind closed doors.
5. Viral Dynamics: From Phnom Penh Garage to Global Timeline
YouTube’s algorithm pushed the footage past 100 K views in 72 hours, spawning mash-ups and “gravity is cancelled” memes.
BarBend and other strength-news sites picked it up, slotting the feat next to Shaw’s 1,365 lb belt-squat rack pull for comparison.
Reddit “weightroom” threads turned into biomechanics seminars debating femur length, spinal shear, and whether Kim just proved mass is overrated.
6. Why Coaches and Scientists Are Paying Attention
Relative-strength ceiling shift. If 7 × BW becomes plausible, programming models for power-to-weight sports—from sprint cycling to grappling—get an upgrade.
Low-carb power hypothesis. The lift adds a headline-ready case study to emerging research showing ketogenic athletes can sustain high-intensity output.
Neurological resilience. Handling 500 kg+ without straps or suit suggests central-nervous-system capacities that were assumed impossible at lightweight classes.
7. Debate & Legacy
Not an official world record—but maybe it starts one. Strongman Archives list partial deadlift categories precisely because fans demanded historical continuity. Kim’s feat may force federations to codify knee-height pulls for all weight classes.
Echo effect on training culture. AllThingsGym documents how Savickas’ 2014 tyre pull ignited a decade of partial-pull experimentation; Kim’s lift is already sparking similar “copy-cat” challenges among sub-90 kg lifters.
Potential Shaw response. Shaw hinted in a recent Q&A that he might return to block pulls “if numbers start getting silly again,” priming a heavyweight-vs-lightweight narrative fans love.
Bottom Line
The uproar isn’t just about three extra pounds—it’s about a slender, caffeinated minimalist smashing a psychological ceiling that said four-digit iron belonged only to super-heavy titans. Kim rewrote the relative-strength ledger, poked holes in nutritional orthodoxy, and reminded the strength world that in the age of smartphones and memes, gravity alone can’t keep a good story—or a great lift—from going orbital.