Vladimir Shmondenko, aka Anatoly Powerlifter, is the Borat of gym pranks. You’ve probably seen him on a social media platform, an ordinary gym janitor who interrupts a much bigger guy between sets of hoisting a stacked barbell to ask if he can move the weight or try the same lift. It’s not safe. No way you could ever lift it. But the janitor insists, and away he goes, knocking out reps, making it look easy, to the astonishment of observers and the amusement of his millions of online followers. Anatoly got ’em again!
But who is Anatoly Powerlifter, aka Vladimir Shmondenko. What’s his real story? Let’s get to know the popular gym prankster.
WHO IS ANATOLY POWERLIFTER?
Anatoly Powerlifter’s real name is Vladimir Shmondenko.
WHO IS VLADIMIR SHMONDENKO?
Vladimir Shmondenko grew up on a cattle farm in the tiny village of Krishtopivka in central Ukraine. When he first got internet service at 14, he learned about weight-training and, with no alternative, he created his own weights out of bricks, wood, and tractor parts. To gain muscle, he ate seven times daily with lots of high-protein farm food, especially cottage cheese and eggs. As a teenager, Vladimir Shmondenko competed in powerlifting meets, weighing 145 pounds at 18 and 163 pounds at 19. His best competitive lifts then were: 331-pound squat, 270-pound bench press, and 457-pound deadlift.
When he first got on Instagram in 2017, teenage Shmondenko’s feed was filled with mostly him lifting in primitive conditions in his native Ukraine. But when he began posting his Russian-language gym prank videos on YouTube, he soared in popularity and got paid accordingly. After he moved to Moscow in 2019, his Instagram feed was more about his excellent abs and lux lifestyle (he loves BMWs).
Though he repeatedly injured his back while hoisting heavy weights in his pranks without a warm-up, Shmondenko was happy in Moscow. But after Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022, he no longer wanted to live in a country at war with his native land. So, he moved to Dubai. His money ran out, he was depressed, but he rapidly taught himself English and began again.
His first English-language prank video was posted in early 2023. Soon, Vladimir Shmondenko was more popular than ever and all around the world. Previously, his Instagram posts might receive 30,000 likes, but “Anatoly Powerlifter” was soon receiving over a million likes per post and sometimes multiple millions.
VLADIMIR SHMONDENKO: BIRTHPLACE
Cherkasy, Ukraine
CURRENT HOME
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
VLADIMIR SHMONDENKO: AGE
He was born August 10, 1999. So, he’s currently 24.
WEIGHT
172 lbs. (78 kg.)
HEIGHT
5’11” (180 cm.)
VLADIMIR SHMONDENKO: NET WORTH
We’ve seen estimates of $2-3 million for his net worth. But this is not public information, so any figures are merely guesses. Shmondenko sells training and nutrition programs on his website, and he owns a European-based supplement company, Aribba Nutrition.
HOW POPULAR IS ANATOLY POWERLIFTER?
Instagram: 14.2 million followers [link]
TikTok: 13.6 million followers [link]
YouTube: 5.5 million followers [link]
HOW STRONG IS VLADIMIR SHMONDEKNO?
His best gym lifts are:
Deadlift: 639 lbs. (290 kg.), sumo-style with lifting straps
Squat: 463 lbs. (210 kg.)
HOW MUCH CAN VLADIMIR SHMONDENKO BENCH?
As far as we can tell, he hasn’t bench pressed for a max rep on video. However, the increase between his best teenage competition squat and his best current gym squat is 40%. So, if his bench press grew by the same amount, Vladimir Shmondenko can bench press 378 pounds (171 kg.).
IS VLADIMIR SHMONDENKO A WORLD CHAMPION?
No. He never was, and he hasn’t competed in powerlifting since he was a teenager. However, you could say he’s the world champion of gym prank videos.
ARE ANATOLY POWERLIFTER VIDEOS REAL?
In the modern social media world, it’s tough to be sure. Usually it goes like this: Wearing a wig, beard, glasses, and his trademark blue overalls, “Anatoly Powerlifter” approaches a big guy or guys lifting heavy weights, and between sets he asks to move the weight to mop the floor or just asks to try the lift. Then, to the apparent surprise of the big guy(s), the meek “Anatoly” makes the lift look easy, sometimes with one hand.
First, let’s assume the weights are real. After all, they’re all weights Vladimir Shmondenko could lift multiple times.
But what about the reactions? Are the “surprised guys” in on the joke? Isn’t “Anatoly Powerlifter” too recognizable now to keep pulling off these pranks in the same disguise? If you watch the YouTube videos and not just short Instagram or TikTok videos, it seems he did a lot of the content on the same days in the same gyms before his greatest fame. He’s admitted it’s going to be harder to pull off the janitor pranks going forward. In fact, in a recent video, “Anatoly” is a clueless trainer in a new disguise.
We choose to believe. After all, there’s a positive message in the “Anatoly Powerlifter” prank videos to never judge too quickly or harshly. The strongest guy in the gym isn’t necessarily the biggest guy in the gym. And he might just be the guy with the mop.
