‘Physical 100’: Kim Kang-min Was Working on No Sleep During the Atlas Challenge: ‘This Is When I Stayed Up All Night’
Behind-the-scenes details about Netflix‘s Physical 100 are coming to light as the contestants appear on each other’s Youtube channels. Fitness celebrity and bodybuilder Kim Kang-min appeared on Shim Ee-ddeum’s channel and gave an inside scoop on what happened during the Atlas challenge on Physical 100. Fans will be surprised to learn he did not sleep the night before.
Kim Kang-min went up against Jo Jin-hyeong in the ‘Physical 100’ pre-finale
After the boat quest, the Physical 100 teams delegated a team member to each of the Greek mythology-inspired challenges. Everyone dreaded the Atlas challenge, where four contestants had to hold an over 100-lb boulder on their shoulders. The one to withstand the weight for the most time wins. Many of the contestants knew Strongman Jo Jin-hyeong would be the top competitor.
Skeleton coach Kim Sik sacrificed himself to take on the challenge instead of contestant Yun Sung-bin. Bo Mi-rae realized her teammates would have succeeded in the other challenges and put herself on the line by taking the challenge. Due to Kang-min’s impressive muscular physique and strength, he was another clear choice for the Physical 100′s Atlas challenge.
As the challenge was underway, Kang-min struggled to hoist the boulder over his shoulder but still succeeded. Bo Mi-rae was the first to be eliminated after being unable to hoist up the boulder. But the weight started to affect Kang-min as he commented, “I think my whole body was aching. It felt like I was being tortured.” In the end, Kang-min was eliminated.
He appeared with Ma Sun-ho on Ee-ddeum’s YouTube channel @euddeume, and explained that his muscles did not allow the boulder to sit securely. But he also revealed another shocking truth about the day of the challenge.
Kim Kang-min was in competition season during ‘Physical 100’
The Korean unscripted series included an array of well-recognized bodybuilders at the top of their weight classes. Kang-min is notorious among the contestants and on social media for his physique and bodybuilding career. But when participating in Physical 100, Kang-min revealed on Ee-ddeum’s channel that he was in competition season.
The production staff asked if, during the Atlas challenge, Kang-min had stayed up the night before. “This is when I stayed up all night. When I’m in season, I’m so hungry that I hardly sleep. Then I sleep a little, but at this time, I absolutely have to film. I have to get makeup, too,” explained Kang-min.
Ee-ddeum was flabbergasted by Kang-min’s comment and wondered why he does not eat. But he went into further detail about the actual lack of sleep he gets during competition season. “I usually don’t sleep for about a month to six weeks during competitions. I can’t sleep if I’m on a diet well,” he explained. Regarding the Atlas challenge, “In the middle of that time, I went to eat. I went to eat while filming. Since I was so hungry.”
The Atlas challenge on Physical 100 lasted over two hours between Kim Sik and Jin-hyeong. But fans only saw a portion of it, and the staff focused on filming them more often. Kang-min explains that during the Physical 100 challenge, he went to the bathroom. Min-ho says the staff estimated a 30-minute challenge, and after a while, the other contestants took breaks between cheering.
The professional bodybuilder gets hundreds of comments about his muscles
There is no denying that Kang-min grabs attention no matter what room he is in, thanks to his muscles. He has been a professional bodybuilder for many years. In 2015, his physique was half the size people see on Physical 100. He and his wife, A-reum, are deeply invested in the fitness world and are trainers at Muscle Pro Gym.
After the competition series, Kang-min joked he might not focus on his cardio. But he explains, “Since bodybuilding is about showing off the muscles, that’s where the main focus is. But this made me realize that I need to work on my strength whenever I have the time.”
Min-ho chimed in to say many people comment on bodybuilders and their “balloon” muscles. “I have more than 100 comments about that. Saying that Kang-min hyung’s muscles are balloon muscles,” said Kang-min. Min-ho went on to explain that there is a difference between practical muscles and balloon muscles. Regardless, he greatly respected Kang-min and the other bodybuilders who made it to the top 20.
