Many competitors had a long history of athleticism before going on Netflix’s Physical 100. So it’s interesting to see where they started. Kim Kang-min looked different when he was competing as a bodybuilder in 2015.
[SPOILER ALERT: This article contains spoilers for Physical 100 episodes 1-8.]
Kim Kang-min was one of the bigger competitors on ‘Physical 100’
The season started with 100 people of different body types. Some cast members recognized Kim as he walked in with Song A-reum from his YouTube channel in the first episode.
“We’re a married bodybuilding couple of the same age,” he said. “We’ve been married for six years.”
The husband was happy about how his torso sculpture looked. “I saw the back and recognized it right away,” he said. “This is mine. Compared to the others, my torso looks much better-taken care of.” The podium claimed he weighed 95 kg, which is 209 lbs. It also read that he was 172 cm, which is five feet and six inches tall.
But bigger isn’t always better. Kim was disadvantaged in some challenges, like the one where he had to hang from bars by his arms. He placed in the bottom 50 because of his short time.
However, Kim was a hot commodity at other times. He managed to gain allies by showing off his muscular thighs when the quest became more about physical strength. If you were going to pull a one-and-a-half-ton boat, you want Kim on your side.
What Kim Kang-min looked like in 2015
The bodybuilder has made a dramatic transformation over the years. Health TV has an interview with Kim and Song from WBC Korea 2015.
Kim placed first and weighed about 165 pounds at the time. Even then, his thighs were very muscular.
He started his YouTube channel in 2020. His first video showed he was much closer to his higher weight that Physical 100 fans would recognize.
Where do Song and Kim place on ‘Physical 100’?
The married couple stuck together throughout the competition. But they had to go back to playing as individuals in quest 4. Each team had to pick a delegate to play in one of the five games to make it to the final quest.
“I think my teammates, compared to me, have a better chance to come first,” Song said. “So I think I gave in and let them take the games they’d be good at.”
She picked The Wings of Icarus, which meant she needed to climb a rope the longest. “Eh, I’ll hang on as long as I can,” she told her teammates.
Jeong Han-saem told Kim he could win as long as he avoided Jo Jin-hyeong, a strongman athlete. “This card already says it’s 100 kg,” Kim said while pointing to The Punishment of Atlas. “I wanna do this. I don’t think this would be that heavy.”
In the end, neither of them won and didn’t move forward to the final. Jo did win The Punishment of Atlas.
