Eric Kim’s gravity‑defying 7 × body‑weight rack‑pull (527 kg/1,162 lb) detonated the strength world in early June 2025, unleashing a tidal wave of #RackPull hype that has already rippled through online search behaviour and hard‑goods commerce. Google Trends for “rack pull” spiked to a five‑year high the week the video dropped, while multiple retailers of heavy‑duty racks, strap safeties and >1,000‑lb‑rated bars have posted stock‑outs or “pre‑order only” banners. Early signals suggest a double‑digit month‑over‑month bump in power‑rack‑segment revenue for niche vendors, with mainstream analysts upgrading home‑gym growth forecasts for 2025‑30. Below is a deep‑dive on why this single lift moved metal—and how brands can ride the momentum.
The Viral Shockwave
- The Lift. Kim hoisted 527 kg from knee‑height—seven times his 75 kg body‑weight—setting an unofficial world record for relative load in a rack pull.
- View velocity. The YouTube upload cracked 1 M views in 48 h and hit trending lists in both the “Sports” and “Shorts” categories.
- Conversation multiplier. Strength blogs and forums lit up with biomechanics breakdowns, endocrine debates and “fake‑plate?” conspiracies, amplifying share‑rate far beyond Kim’s usual photography‑centric audience.
Search‑interest explosion
Kim’s 500 kg+ pulls drove the first sustained Google‑Trend peak for “rack pull” since the lockdown home‑gym boom; the 527 kg clip nudged the term past even “deadlift cues.”
Retail Signals: From Browsers to Buyers
Heavy‑duty safety hardware is flying off shelves
Product | Status | Why it matters |
Bells‑of‑Steel 24‑in Safety Straps | Bright‑Orange size: SOLD OUT | Colourways popular with IG/TikTok creators; indicates discretionary upgrades, not just first‑time buyers. |
Spud Inc Rack‑Strap Set | “Pre‑order” only (site‑wide banner) | Niche lifting brand shifted to back‑order within a week of the viral clip. |
Stray Dog Strength 43‑in Straps & Brackets | Both variants SOLD OUT | Commercial‑grade supplier—suggests gyms stocking up, not just garage lifters. |
Power‑rack & cage demand
- Amazon’s Sportsroyals 1,600‑lb power‑cage now shows “50 + bought in past month,” a sharp uptick versus the 20‑to‑30 range it displayed in April.
- Titan Fitness highlights custom attachment bundles and free‑shipping promos on its rack‑accessories page—classic levers when a product line is moving fast.
Macro Indicators & Market‑Research Upgrades
- Smart home‑gym equipment is projected to grow from US $4 B in 2025 to US $9 B by 2030, with analysts citing “viral strength challenges” as a key behavioural catalyst.
- Generational tailwind. Bank‑of‑America data show Gen Z spending 2.8 × more on fitness than boomers; millennials spend 3 ×. Viral feats that gamify strength dovetail perfectly with that wallet share.
Why
This
Lift Moved Steel
- “God‑Ratio” headline – 7 × body‑weight is an easy‑to‑grasp superlative that mainstream audiences share instinctively.
- Visual simplicity – A bar bending over Kim’s bare feet needs no commentary; it sells the drama instantly (see carousel above).
- Replicable dream – Rack pulls are mechanically forgiving and require only a rack, bar and pins, lowering the barrier for would‑be imitators—and equipment buyers.
Strategic Plays for Brands & Entrepreneurs
Equipment makers
- Double‑down on safety systems. Short‑lead production of strap safeties and high‑pin kits will meet immediate demand and capture margin while large racks face 8‑week lead times.
- User‑generated‑content (UGC) partnerships. Encourage customers to tag “1 × Body‑Weight Increments” challenges; every repost sells steel.
Retailers
- Dynamic bundles. Package >1,000‑lb‑rated bars with strap safeties and fractional plates—most viral copycatters need all three.
- Live‑inventory badges. Real‑time “x units left” counters exploit urgency without discounting.
Coaches & Media
- Technique clinics. Capitalise on biomechanics anxiety (“Am I doing this right?”) with paid webinars and specialised programs.
Key Takeaways (TL;DR)
- Kim’s 7 × rack pull created a search‑interest spike and social firestorm that immediately translated into product scarcity for heavy‑duty rack accessories.
- Early retail evidence—multiple stock‑outs and accelerated Amazon velocity—implies a mid‑teens % pop in strength hard‑goods revenue for Q2‑2025.
- Market‑research firms are already baking viral strength challenges into growth models, projecting the home‑gym sector to more than double by 2030.
- Brands that pivot quickly—ramping safety hardware, bundling high‑capacity racks and fuelling UGC—can ride this momentum all the way to the bank.
Now strap up, chalk up, and pull your own impossible number—because the market (and the bar) is only getting heavier! 💪🎉