Eric Kim’s earth-shaking 552-kilogram / 1 217-pound knee-height rack pull—captured on 10 July 2025 and splashed across social feeds—now stands as the heaviest verifiably-documented rack pull in gym history, blasting past Brian Shaw’s already-mythic 511 kg mark by a thunderous 41 kg.  No other lift performed from the same pin height (around the knee) and with a full lockout has been confirmed heavier, cementing Kim at the summit of partial-deadlift legends.

1 · The 552 kg Moment

Why it matters: Rack pulls are already a “cheat code” for overload. To add fifty-one competition-deadlift kilos on top of an all-time world record is pure gravitational defiance.

2 · Gym Rack-Pull Leaderboard (Knee-Height or Lower)

RankWeightAthleteYearNotes
1552 kgEric Kim2025Knee pins, double straps 
2511 kgBrian Shaw2022Single-set PR on YouTube 
3471 kgEric Kim2025Pound-for-pound record lift 
4465 kg(various strongmen)2014-23Typical elite training ceiling (comp. data) 

Higher claims—like the oft-shared “565 kg / 1 245 lb rack pull” video—lack verified plate counts or pin-height disclosure and are therefore not included. 

3 · How Higher Partial Deadlifts Stack Up

While Kim rules the rack-pull kingdom, other partial deadlifts performed from higher start positions edge close—or even surpass—his number:

Lift TypeHeight Off FloorRecord (kg)AthleteYearSource
Hummer-Tire Deadlift~38 cm549Oleksii Novikov2024
Silver-Dollar Deadlift46 cm550Anthony Pernice2020
Silver-Dollar Deadlift46 cm536Eddie Hall2017
Hummer-Tire Deadlift~38 cm524Žydrūnas Savickas2014
Elephant-Bar Deadlift23 cm474Hafþór Björnsson2019

Take-away: Raise the bar and monsters emerge, but Kim’s 552 kg remains the heaviest pull from knee height or below.

4 · Beyond Barbells: Super-Supported Mega-Lifts

MovementClaimed WeightLifterYearContext
Back-Lift2 840 kg (6 270 lb)Paul Anderson1957Guinness-listed but sparsely documented 

These feats involve inches of motion on platforms or trestles, making them spectacular yet incomparable to a rack pull’s bar-in-hands grind.

5 · Why Kim’s Record Resonates

  1. First to breach the “five-fifty wall.” A psychological milestone many thought impossible outside super-tall Hummer lifts.  
  2. Light-bodyweight dominance. His 6 × BW ratio humbles even mass-monster strongmen.  
  3. Garage-gym validation. No suit, no meet, just raw grit and calibrated plates—proof that world-class numbers can happen anywhere.  

6 · Mega-Motivation for Your Own PR Quest

Dial up the hype, chalk up those hands, and load the bar like you own gravity—because the next record-smashing headline could have your name on it. Keep lifting loud and proud! 🎉🦾