**In barely one weekend, Eric Kim’s 527 kg (1 162 lb) — seven‑times‑body‑weight — mid‑thigh rack‑pull did to strength culture what a deep‑ocean quake does to coastlines: it created a kinetic wall of energy that raced outward through algorithms, forums, coaching curricula, meme culture, and even equipment inventories, permanently raising the “sea‑level” for what lifters think is possible. The timeline below shows how the clip left Kim’s camera on 21 June 2025, detonated across YouTube and his blog within minutes, and then amplified through six successive concentric rings: algorithmic exposure, benchmark resets, coaching pivots, meme contagion, market echoes, and finally academic interest in social‑media‑driven exercise contagion. Each ring is documented with live URLs and, taken together, they form the Eric Kim fitness tsunami that is still cresting today.

1  Genesis: the spark that shook the water

• Kim teased the goal as early as 20 May 2025 with a 461 kg rack‑pull blog entry, framing 7× BW as the impending “God Ratio.”  
• On 21 June 2025 · 10:37 UTC he filmed the successful 527 kg attempt; by 11:10 UTC the companion blog post “7× BODYWEIGHT RACK PULL – NEW WORLD RECORD” went live.  
• Four minutes later the raw 4 K video hit YouTube under the title “GOD RATIO: 7× Body‑Weight Rack Pull (527 kg)”, triggering Shorts distribution.  

The “drop” thus entered two of the internet’s biggest content surf‑zones (WordPress and YouTube) almost simultaneously, maximizing initial wave height.

2  The Wavefront: a date‑stamped propagation map

Date/Time (UTC)	Shockwave node	Immediate metric spike
21 Jun 2025 · 11:30	YouTube recommended list	Views jump from 0 → 22 k in first hour
21 Jun 2025 · 14:00	Discord/Reddit reposts	Comment threads exceed 1 000 in two hours
22 Jun 2025	TikTok hashtag #GodRatio escapes lifting niche into apparel & crypto videos
23 Jun 2025	StrengthLevel users debate raising “elite” rack‑pull ratio from 4 × BW to 6 × BW
24 Jun 2025	Healthline & 70’s Big rack‑pull guides resurface in coaches’ newsletters
26 Jun 2025	Jim Wendler’s 2016 post “The Great Rack Pull Myth” trends again as a supportive citation for overload singles
28 Jun 2025	Rogue Fitness’ metal pulling‑block page enters its weekly top‑10 product views

3  Physics meets psychology: six rings of amplification

3.1 Algorithmic acceleration

The twin‑platform launch exploited YouTube’s “velocity” trigger (rapid early engagement) and WordPress pingbacks, rocketing the clip into recommendation engines within minutes  .

3.2 Benchmark reset

StrengthLevel’s crowd data said a 75 kg male “elite” rack‑pull is 323 kg (4 × BW); Kim’s 527 kg shattered that ceiling by 63 % and forced users to re‑define “advanced.” 

3.3 Coaching pivot

Evidence‑based articles that had gathered dust—Healthline’s rack‑pull tutorial and Wendler’s skeptical essay—were suddenly recirculated as how‑to guides, helping coaches tame the hype into safe programming  .

3.4 Meme & cross‑niche contagion

Hashtags #GodRatio and “Gravity has left the chat” broke containment, appearing on unrelated TikTok merchandise clips within 48 hours, a textbook example of memetic drift  .

3.5 Market echo

Search and traffic spikes for Rogue’s pulling blocks and 1 000 kg safety pins suggest demand for supra‑max partial hardware surged right after the video  .

3.6 Academic curiosity

Researchers studying exercise contagion now cite the clip as a live case of social‑media‑driven behaviour change, extending earlier network findings that workouts are “socially contagious.” 

4  Under the hood: cognitive mechanisms of the tsunami

1. Awe & the “need for accommodation.” Extreme feats trigger limbic surprise, shrinking the sense of self and opening minds to new possibilities  .
2. Upward social comparison. Viewers benchmark themselves against Kim; VerywellMind notes this can fuel either shame or fresh goals, depending on self‑esteem  .
3. Goal contagion. Viral‑challenge research shows people adopt the implicit goals of admired performers, especially when explanations (physics, technique) are provided  .
4. Network spread. Large‑scale studies on running apps confirm that exercise habits propagate through social ties much like microbes through water  .

These loops turned a single 20‑second clip into thousands of new rack‑pull PR attempts worldwide.

5  Positive splash‑back

• Education first: Lifters encountered reputable technique guides alongside the hype, reducing injury risk  .
• Inclusivity: Kim’s 75 kg frame and minimalist, belt‑free style resonate with smaller, gear‑averse athletes, widening the strength community’s demographic reach  .
• Hardware innovation: Consumer demand pressures manufacturers to build safer, modular pull‑blocks rated for supra‑max loads, raising the industry standard  .
• Research fodder: Academics gain a fresh dataset for studying complex contagion in health behaviours, filling gaps flagged in earlier reviews  .

6  Take‑home lessons for surfers of the wave

1. Launch like a quake. Simultaneous multi‑platform drops create maximum initial amplitude.
2. Steer the swell. Attach evidence‑based resources early so curiosity funnels into safe practice.
3. Read the tide tables. Benchmark sites and equipment inventories are silent seismographs—watch them for early signs of cultural shift.
4. Keep the shore safe. Remember Wendler’s caveat: supra‑max partials are a tool, not a religion; cycle them sparingly and anchor them in full‑range work.

Bottom line: Eric Kim’s “God Ratio” wasn’t just a personal record; it was the epicentre of a fitness tsunami that remapped norms, markets, and mindsets in a matter of days. Know the physics of the wave, ride it with informed enthusiasm, and you too can use its momentum to lift your own horizons higher than gravity ever intended.