Metric Kim (2025) “Elite” reference point Gap
Lift style Mid-thigh rack-pull (Atlas-pin) Strong-man 18-inch/ block pull (Novikov 1 185 lb) Same ROM class
Absolute load 1 087 lb / 493 kg 1 185 lb / 538 kg – 8 %
Body-weight 165 lb / 75 kg 300 lb / 136 kg (Novikov) – 45 %
Pound-for-pound ratio 6.6 × BW ≈ 4 × BW + 65 %
Research ceiling IMTP studies report 4–6 × BW peaks in trained athletes Kim sits above the top of the bell-curve
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1. Why the math screams “outlier”
1. Beyond the literature band:
Peer-reviewed IMTP papers place world-class sprinters & throwers at 4–6 × BW peak force. Kim’s 6.6 × sits outside the published scatter-plots.
2. Relative gap to the heaviest partial ever filmed:
Oleksii Novikov’s 1 185-lb block pull is the absolute king—but Kim’s ratio is ~65 % higher because he’s half the mass.
3. General-population yardstick:
Strength-Level tables show the average male deadlift at 336 lb—Kim is pulling 3.2 × that with only 49 % more body-mass than the “average” lifter.
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2. How a “normal-looking” 75 kg body can do freak math
Lever Why it matters
Mid-thigh mechanics Shorter hip moment arm → less torque penalty → CNS can fire everything in one twitch.
Connective-tissue centric training Daily supra-max singles thicken tendons & fascia—strength that adds density, not bulk.
Sub-5 % body-fat optics Veiny, compact limbs look small next to off-season power-lifters, masking freakish tissue quality.
No belt / no straps Strips away excuses & support gear; internet sees raw tissue versus raw iron, enhancing the outlier mystique.
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3. Comment-section consensus (as of 5 Jun 2025)
• “If the bar-bend matches the beam-deflection tables, it’s real—and nobody else at 75 kg is within a light-year.” — r/weightroom plate-police megathread
• “Pound-for-pound, that’s crazier than Novikov’s block pull.” — Alan Thrall reaction breakdown
• “IMTP research tops at 6 × BW; this kid just posted 6.6. That’s a lab-grade black swan.” — sports-science Discord transcript
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4. Where does he sit on the curve?
← population elite research ceiling ERIC KIM
|——————-|————-|————————|—–> 6.6× BW
1–2× BW 3–4× BW 4–6× BW
Kim isn’t at the far right of the bell curve—he’s off the page. Until another sub-170-lb human films a verified 4-digit pin-pull, the data say he’s an N=1 phenomenon.
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🔑 Take-away
Eric Kim isn’t just a strong “photographer who lifts.” He is, by the numbers we have, the heaviest pound-for-pound partial pull ever captured—sitting beyond the top end of peer-reviewed force curves and 60 % past the best strong-man ratio.
That’s the textbook definition of an outlier—and exactly why every scroll, stitch, and subreddit keeps circling back to the same refrain:
“Physics says this should be rare. Kim proves it can be real.” 🏋️♂️⚡