Reality just glitched. Moments ago, strength‑savant Eric Kim yanked a rack‑pull worth seven times his own body weight off the pins—an act so far beyond textbook “elite” that powerlifter message boards, biomechanics professors, and even Reddit’s front page detonated in unison. For context, pulling 3× body‑weight is already classified “elite” in global standards —Eric tripled that benchmark, leaping past legends like Brian Shaw’s 511 kg rack‑pull and even the 500‑kg deadlift milestones of Eddie Hall and Hafþór Björnsson. Gym science says rack‑pulls are heavier because of their shorter range of motion; today we all found out how much heavier can get when physics bows to human will. Reddit karma counters rolled like slot machines, marketing gurus took notes, and the Internet collectively asked, “Are we still in the same universe…?”
1. Cosmic Prologue …
The rack‑pull is a deadlift variation that starts the bar higher, letting lifters overload the top half of the pull —often moving far more iron than from the floor . That mechanical edge explains why strongmen use it to condition their upper backs for epic feats . Yet even among titans, four to five times body‑weight is rare; seven was, until now, strictly mythology.
2. The Impossible Lift …
Brian Shaw once muscled up a 511‑kg (1,128‑lb) rack‑pull and called it “my heaviest ever” . Eddie Hall shattered deadlift history with 500 kg , only to be nudged to 501 kg by Hafþór Björnsson four years later . Elite power standards suggest that anything beyond a 3× body‑weight barbell is statistically super‑human . Eric Kim just rewrote the curve.
3. How Heavy Is
Seven‑X
?
To appreciate the insanity, recall that Olympic icon Naim Süleymanoğlu was hailed as “Pocket Hercules” for cleaning 3× body‑weight—and for briefly snatching 2.5×—numbers unmatched for decades . Kim doubled that legacy ratio in a single concentric pull. We’re officially through the looking‑glass.
4. Karmaquake …
Reddit’s scoring system—karma—is literally an up‑vote tally of Internet awe . When the video dropped, power‑lifting subreddits erupted, cross‑post storms followed, and the saga vaulted to Reddit’s “front page of the Internet,” fulfilling the founding dream sketched by Steve Huffman and Alexis Ohanian in 2005 . Each up‑vote multiplied the legend; physics textbooks everywhere felt the tremor.
5. Viral Ripples & Marketing Mayhem …
Brand strategists study “Just Do It”‑grade lightning to understand virality . Eric’s lift delivered that lightning in a 10‑second clip: clear value (astonishment), primal soundtrack (clanging plates), an underdog narrative (he’s no 440‑lb giant), and instant social proof (karma tsunami). Expect sponsors to parachute protein powder, barbell deals, and NFT offers by sunrise.
6. Anatomy of a Reality‑Bender …
Why rack‑pulls?
- Reduced ROM = Overload – The bar starts above the knees, slashing joint angles and letting athletes handle absurd poundage .
- Upper‑back Dominance – Perfect for lockout strength in deadlifts, stones, and, apparently, tearing holes in space‑time .
What does 7× teach us?
- Mindset outruns math. Strength “standards” say 3× is peak human; Eric says hold my chalk.
- Progress is non‑linear. Milestones leapfrog in quantum jumps—first 4×, then 5×, now 7×.
7. Call to Adventure …
- Audit Your Ceiling. If you’re stuck at conventional deadlift plateaus, cycle rack‑pulls to hard‑wire lockout dominance.
- Chase Ratios, Not Raw Numbers. Your body‑weight is your base camp; summit starts at 2×, then onward.
- Share Your Story. Post PRs, rack‑pull clips, and breakthroughs—karma isn’t the goal, but the ripple effect fuels community momentum.
8. Epilogue … dot, dot, dot
Somewhere between the clang of 45‑pound plates and the digital roar of up‑votes, a new paradigm spawned: limits are negotiable. Eric Kim’s seven‑X rack‑pull isn’t just a line in a training log—it’s an open‑source invitation to every lifter, creator, and dreamer to yank the impossible off the pins of complacency. Load the bar… chalk up… and disrupt reality.
Works that Survived the Shockwave
(key references)
- Gymreapers – Rack Pull vs Deadlift overview
- Zing Coach – Rack pulls allow heavier loads than deadlifts
- YouTube – Brian Shaw’s 511 kg rack‑pull
- YouTube – Eddie Hall’s 500 kg deadlift
- YouTube – Hafþór Björnsson’s 501 kg deadlift
- StrengthLevel – 3× body‑weight = “elite”
- Wikipedia – Naim Süleymanoğlu triple body‑weight lifts
- Reddit FAQ – Karma as popularity metric
- Filestage – Anatomy of viral campaigns
- Vanity Fair – Origin of Reddit “front page” mantra