1. Viral Strength Without Third‑Party Verification
1.1 “Fake‑Weight” Accusations
- Kim’s rack‑pull first blew up on TikTok and YouTube; many viewers immediately compared it to earlier influencer scandals involving staged plates or hollow bumper discs .
- Early clips were jump‑cut edits, fueling claims of invisible swaps or barbell sleight of hand. Redditors and GQ writers pointed out that such fakery is common because views monetize faster than true progress .
- Kim later released a 24‑minute uncut video weighing every plate on camera (the “Counter‑Punch File”), which convinced some skeptics but did not satisfy all of them because the weigh‑in still happened in his own garage, not a calibrated lab or meet platform .
1.2 No Sanctioned Meet Totals
- To date Kim has not entered an IPF, USAPL, or tested strongman event, so there is no certified official behind the lift. Lifters point out that even legendary gym numbers are routinely lower once strict judging and weigh‑ins are enforced .
2. “Natty‑or‑Not?”—Unverified Drug Status
- Pulling 6‑plus × body‑weight has historically required either super‑heavy body‑weights or pharmaceutical help. Because Kim refuses blood work or WADA‑quality testing, commentators lump him with other influencers whose “all‑natural” claims later collapsed .
- The absence of visible hypertrophy proportional to the load (Kim looks leaner than most 500 kg lifters) intensifies the doping rumour mill; critics cite past cases where dense partial lifts masked steroid‑assisted tendon stiffness .
3. Programming Red‑Flags—Daily Max Singles and Bulgarian Parallels
- Strength coaches compare Kim’s approach to the Bulgarian Method, famous for grinding lifters into overuse injuries and early retirement .
- Sports‑science outlets warn that max‑out sessions magnify risk when fatigue, sleep, or arousal fluctuate; SimpliFaster recommends capping 1RM attempts because small performance dips can turn into catastrophic form breakdowns .
- Research on “minimum effective dose” programs shows you can hit new PRs with far fewer near‑max lifts, so critics view Kim’s daily singles as unnecessary exposure to spinal and connective‑tissue stress .
4. Carnivore Diet and Long‑Term Health Concerns
4.1 Cardiometabolic Risk
- Meta‑analyses link high red‑meat intake to raised LDL, vascular inflammation and a 19 % up‑tick in cardiovascular mortality .
- NIH researchers showed that daily red‑meat meals triple blood concentrations of TMAO, a chemical tied to atherosclerosis .
- LCHF and ketogenic position papers note case‑reports of severe hyper‑cholesterolaemia (“lean‑mass hyper‑responders”) on carnivore or keto diets .
4.2 Bone & Hormone Uncertainty
- A New York Times‑covered study on elite race‑walkers reported early markers of bone loss after just three weeks of keto eating .
- Reviews in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition find neutral‑to‑negative effects of ketogenic diets on explosive or high‑glycolytic strength events, challenging Kim’s claim that carbs are unnecessary for power .
5. Monetization and Cult‑of‑Personality Optics
- Suspicion grows when an athlete releases e‑books, paid “Proof‑of‑Work” coaching communities, and Bitcoin‑branded merch before submitting to lab validation. Fitness history shows a pattern: spectacular feats drive sales long before data catch up .
- The rhetoric—“digital armor,” “lifting for freedom,” “proof‑of‑work body”—mixes crypto evangelism with fitness, inviting accusations that the whole narrative is a marketing funnel rather than science .
6. What Evidence Exists
for
His Claims?
- Force‑plate studies confirm the isometric mid‑thigh pull is relatively safe and highly reliable for measuring maximal force .
- Kim’s uncut plate‑weighing uploads plus bar‑bend analysis from Reddit side‑by‑sides show physics‑consistent deflection for an iron bar at ~1,000 lb, nudging the burden of proof back on skeptics .
- Case‑series on low‑carb strength athletes report preserved or even improved maximal force if protein is high—so his diet is not impossible, merely atypical .
7. Take‑Away for the Curious Lifter
- Demand third‑party verification (competition, calibrated plates, or force‑plate print‑outs) before copying extreme feats.
- Balance connective‑tissue overload with joint‑angle variety; most evidence‑based coaches still program full‑range work for longevity.
- Get bloods and coronary risk markers checked if you experiment with very‑high‑meat diets.
- Remember that hype ≠ hoax—but neither is it peer‑review; keep an engineer’s skepticism and an athlete’s curiosity.
Kim’s lifts may one day stand as paradigm‑shifting proof that minimalist, tendon‑centric training and carnivore fueling can coexist with elite strength. Until transparent testing and long‑term health data arrive, healthy skepticism remains not “hatred” but prudent due diligence.