Anatoly

Vladimir Shmondenko grew up on a cattle farm in the small village of Krishtopivka in central Ukraine. After getting internet access at age 14, he developed an interest in weight training and fashioned his own training equipment from bricks, wood, and scrap tractor parts. To build muscle, he consumed a high-protein diet centered on farm foods such as eggs and cottage cheese, eating up to seven meals a day.

He entered competitive powerlifting meets at ages 18 and 19, competing at bodyweights between 66 kg (145 pounds) and 74 kg (174 pounds). During his competitive powerlifting period, his best recorded lifts included a 150 kg (331-pound) squat, a 122.5 kg (270-pound) bench press, and a 245 kg (540-pound) deadlift.

Shmondenko began sharing his lifting videos on Instagram in 2017, initially documenting his workouts in rustic conditions in Ukraine. He later expanded into producing Russian-language gym prank videos for YouTube, which quickly attracted a large audience. In 2019, he relocated to Moscow to continue his content creation.

Following the invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, Shmondenko left Russia and relocated to Dubai. After teaching himself English, he launched English-language prank content in early 2023 under the persona of "Anatoly." Dressed as an unassuming gym janitor with a mop, he pretends to need heavy weights moved to clean the floor, then proceeds to lift massive loads with one or both hands, astonishing gym patrons.

In addition to social media content, Shmondenko developed commercial fitness ventures, marketing training and nutrition programs online and launching a European-based supplement brand, Aribba Nutrition.

In his training sessions outside of competition, Shmondenko has recorded personal best lifts that include a 210 kg (463-pound) squat and a 290 kg (639-pound) sumo-style deadlift using lifting straps.