The Rise and Fall of Denis Cyplenkov

The Russian juggernaut Denis Zyplenkov has been gripping people's attention in the strength world for a long time now, and for good reason. But how exactly did he manage to get such a strong foothold, I mean armhold, on the armwrestling scene, and what are the ups and downs in his career? I am the Arm Historian, and today I'll be your tour guide as we take a look at the rise and fall of Denis Zyplenkov. Denis Ivanovich Zyplenkov was born on the 10th of March 1982 in the city of Kryvok Rok, located in modern-day central Ukraine. The city has a rich history and was first founded as a military post, then continued as a mining settlement, occupied and laid waste by the Germans during World War II, and now under attack by their neighbors. It's safe to say the citizens of this region have been through a lot in the last centuries, which undoubtedly had some effect on the mentality of the locals, including Denis and his parents. Like a lot of athletes from this time and place, Zyplenkov's youth is largely mired in hearsay and mystery. What is known, however, from the athlete's own words, is that from a young age he seemed to possess an uncanny potential for strength, attending various sporting activities at his school and eventually starting to lift kettlebells, regularly in 1993 under a local coach, who obviously saw a lot of potential in the young Denis. At the tender age of only 11 all the way up until his high school graduation, Denis would excel at his form of powerlifting and even became an officially recognized candidate for Master of the Sport. He achieved all this at such a young age, despite coming from modest beginnings, with the time and climate in the region being less than ideal. His parents would often not receive their paychecks for several months, leading the family to subsist mainly on the vegetable garden they had grown. This is something that he would later point out might have led to him to only weigh around 65 kilograms at the time, despite having an already large frame. It's also clear from looking back at pictures from this time, one of the most prominent physical features of Siplenkov were already his massive hands. Even to this day his hands remain as some of the more noticeable and stronger ones in armwrestling and beyond. While he was spending time at the gym though, he often found himself gravitating towards the armwrestling table and armwrestling equipment available there. At the time, throughout Eastern Europe, armwrestling had quickly grown as a sport and excelling at it held possibly a greater potential benefit and gain than other niche strength sports. Denis fell in love with the sport instantly and understood that he possessed quite a bit of natural gifts that lent himself to armwrestling. He would go train in secret at 6 am every morning before school, causing him to fall asleep sometimes during class, something that would eventually cause his grades to drop. Only about three months into his training, now in 1999, Denis would compete at the Ukrainian Championships in Kharkov and would for the first time win his weight class. Looking back now, this tournament still sounds out to him as one of the most memorable wins of his career. The prestige he would gain from not only his peers, but also his teachers and elders by winning this tournament would seemingly leave a lasting mark on the teenaged Siplenkov. He would start to take his armwrestling training seriously from then on and sought out different local tournaments. Throughout his career, he would not forget his powerlifting roots though, semi-consistently attending powerlifting meets and even enjoying a stint in strongman competitions. By the late 90s, a local armwrestling champion by the name of Igor Moiseev was scouting the local youth in search of fresh armwrestling talent. It was clear that Denis relied mostly on his endurance and strength while armwrestling, often holding people in one position for a long time, but as far as the true intricacies of armwrestling technique, the young athlete was still sorely lacking. Under the tutelage of this new coach though and a more readily available armwrestling table, Siplenkov started to excel in the sport. After graduating from high school like many of his peers at the time, he made his way to Moscow in search of better job opportunities. He landed a job as a packer in a sausage company, something that seemed almost serendipitous, as his bosses at the time allowed him to eat all the sausages he wanted for lunch. This facilitated the lanky late teen to properly fill out his frame and eat his way up to an impressive 95 kilograms in weight. Three years on, now 21 years old, Denis met a man by name of Vladimir Turchinsky, also known as Dynamite. Turchinsky was a notorious strength athlete, entrepreneur and local celebrity of sorts that ran a fitness center called Marcus Aurelius, presumably named after the 2nd century Roman Emperor. He obviously saw potential in the young Siplenkov as he would offer Denis a fitness course and subsequently a position working at his gym. From here on, Denis' star would begin to tentatively rise, as he seemed to thrive in his current environment. Throughout the next years, he would keep improving his physique and started to enter powerlifting meets as well as commercial armwrestling tournaments throughout Europe. He became a multiple national champion as well, achieving wins against some of the toughest local competitors the sport had seen. By 2006, Denis would be offered his first big supermatch, accepting a vendetta match under the PAL against another rising star, Andrei Pushkar, on the left arm. 26-year-old Denis took the victory over the 24-year-old Pushkar that day and looked good while doing it too, now clearly settling into his signature armwrestling style. It also became apparent that his left and right arm were very close in power, a rarity amongst the elites of armwrestling, leading him to be perhaps even more dominant on the left throughout the rest of his career. His latest accolades and obvious rising stock in the tournament scene had seemingly caught the eye of one of the most notorious armwrestling coaches of the day. Kote Razmadze had trained Alexei Voevoda years earlier and brought him from relative armwrestling obscurity to the top of the pack. In Denis he saw perhaps his next big project and with that, the potential to lift him up to similar heights. Under his tutelage, Denis did indeed reach new peaks in his technical ability as well as making full use of his immense power and endurance. Soon it would be time to unveil the man he had become and one of the biggest stages armwrestling as a sport had ever seen. The Nemerov Cup had quickly become the premier league of the region, as well as possibly the world, for the top armwrestling talent to test their mettle and by 2008, Denis felt he was ready to compete there. He won three different classes across two arms that year, taking first place in the plus 95kg category as well as the left arm open weight class, only losing to John Brzezink in the right arm opens. That same year, another opportunity presented itself to Denis by way of a PAL organized vendetta rematch on the left arm, once again against the Ukrainian Andrey Pushkar. Denis would come out of this battle victorious and sweep Pushkar, catching his hit each time in a strong parallel with their previous match. One year on, just like before, he dominated that year's Nemerov Cup, getting a first place victory on the left arm in two weight classes, as well as a right arm first place in the 95kg category. It's also worth mentioning Denis accrued an injury on the right arm, which made him drop out of the overall class that year. Also like before, another vendetta supermatch was scheduled, but this time, Denis would go on to face an even bigger challenge, in an extremely strong and in shape John Brzezink in Las Vegas. Brzezink won the match 5-1, expertly dismantling Denis and by doing that, proving Saplenkov wasn't quite at the absolute pinnacle of the sport just yet. While his presence in armwrestling competitions was certainly felt each time he would show up, Saplenkov was actually a relatively early adopter of the internet at large, and has a website under the domain saplenkov.ru, which has been up and running since 2008. If you're interested in all things Denis, this site is a nice little time capsule and provides insights into Denis' many hobbies and likes. As a funny side note, one of the pages is titled Denis with girls. Denis would also become and remain active on social media, posting regularly about everyday happenings in his life, and doing his part to promote the sport. It's safe to say that, especially in the east, but in reality throughout the entire world, Denis would become an icon of the modest sport of armwrestling from an early time, as well as through the following decade. Apart from armwrestling and various strength sports, Denis would also become involved in local politics, first becoming a deputy of urban settlement in and around Moscow, and then, some years on, after putting in his dues, joining the main political party, United Russia, climbing the ranks at each subsequent election. Meanwhile in his armwrestling career though, in the early 2010s, Denis would seemingly ratchet up his armwrestling prowess another notch, and the now extremely bulky Russian was arguably at the top of his game, winning not only the Arnold Classic in 2011, perhaps even more impressively, cleaning house in the Super Heavy, and open class at the Nemerov Cup in that same year. At the Arnold Classic, Denis met the American Kingsmover, Michael Todd, on the table, and perhaps being still somewhat unfamiliar with the unique pulling style presented to him, ended up losing the match. He would go on to get the win over Michael later in the event rankings though. From 2012 to 2014, Denis would continue his dominance around his home region by dominating three subsequent editions of the A1 Russian Open Championship, only losing one first place in the Right Arm Open division to Andrey Pushkar. He also would pull in a right arm supermatch versus the formidable Arsen Liliev, and ends up losing the match in a very closely contested fashion. At the Russian Nationals, one year on now, Denis would be able to take revenge on Liliev by beating him in the finals on the right hand. Clearly by this time, the two were at the absolute peak of their abilities, and as an extension, the entire sport. In 2013, he also accrued a loss against a primed Dave Chaffee in the earlier rounds of the Nemerov Cup on the right, leading Denis to not podium in the Open category of that year. He did, however, clean house on the left, and took a plus 95kg category win on the right. Not long after, in early 2015, after having won a lot of the top international events apart from the WAF organized ones, Denis unofficially announced his retirement from the sport, deciding to take a step back. He seems to have shifted his focus somewhat to powerlifting again, paying off late that same year by Denis trick curling 113kg and setting a world record in the process. Zyplenkov would also feature in several Russian talk shows and variety shows, usually showcasing his feats of strength and becoming somewhat more of a mainstream celebrity of the region. This is evidenced in part by Denis performing as a torchbearer for the 2014 Sochi Olympic event. In July of 2016, however, after being out of the sport for only a couple of years, Denis Zyplenkov decided to announce his great return with a right arm armfight supermatch versus the American monster Michael Todd. After their back and forth at the Arnold's Classic 5 years earlier, both athletes seemed eager for the win, and what followed was, in my opinion, one of the greatest matches of the era. The end result a 4-2 hard-earned victory for Zyplenkov and a supermatch win he's not soon to forget. In 2018, a vendetta supermatch took place for the alleged unofficial number one in the world, featuring Denis taking on the Canadian Devon Larratt on the left hand. The match was originally set to feature the powerhouse Andrei Pushkar, who unfortunately had to be replaced due to his untimely passing. Devon coming in as his replacement stood little chance against Zyplenkov, with the Russian beating him handily in all but one gifted round. The circumstances concerning this match have become highly controversial over time and deserved their own time in the spotlight in a separate video. As a sign of respect though, Denis would go on to give his championship belt earned that day to Pushkar's family. After the match was over and done with, Devon would also go home and send Denis the left-handed Legacy Hammer. The Legacy Hammer, of course, is a repurposed WAL trophy, which Devon wanted to go to the number one in the world on each arm. Denis accepted the hammer and would hold on to it for a long time, leading to some drama down the line. In March of 2019, Denis, now in his late 30s, found himself preparing for his attendance in a notoriously prestigious top 8 tournament, but was soon struck by tragedy. According to his own words, Denis explains that through incorrect high-intensity training, he ruptured blood vessels leading to his kidneys, which in turn led to hemorrhaging. After being hospitalized, stents had to surgically be put in to keep the blood flowing properly into his kidneys. Siplenkov also claimed these conditions led to the development of neuritis, which can often result in partial facial paralysis. A lot of armwrestlers and fans, as well as detractors, were quick to speculate on the causes of our titular athlete's health scare, pointing to alleged rampant PED abuse. Denis' nearly unnatural and often exaggerated physical features had also been the source of speculation for a long time, with many saying a physique like his couldn't be achieved without the use of some sort of growth hormone or steroids. Although Denis himself doesn't speak that often on the use of performance-enhancing drugs in armwrestling or strength sports as a whole, he did touch somewhat on the use of growth hormones. In a recent interview, he is asked about his unnaturally thick hands and fingers and the possible use of HGH and its effect. Denis admits that the substance was an integral part of the sports he was involved with, but goes no further. Whether or not Denis used any PEDs, and I think it's quite obvious whether he did or didn't, it's clear that his natural characteristics played a major role in determining the potential of his body and also his champion's mindset. The level of efficacy of any substance is, at the end of the day, reliant in large part on physical genetic factors, and mean little without the determination to train diligently to go along with it. In recent years, Denis has revealed to also be suffering from chronic hip issues, with the condition apparently becoming so bad he could hardly bend over to put on his shoes and socks. After an MRI was taken, it turned out nearly all the cartilage around the hip joint had been eroded, and Denis soon found himself in the unfortunate position of possibly needing hip replacement surgery. In 2023, now with the brunt of the pandemic well and truly over, Denis decided to announce his big comeback to armwrestling by accepting a match with the GOAT himself, John Brzenk, at King of the Table. The much lauded match turned out to be quite a one-sided affair though, with Denis taking every round with the same stoic demeanor we have come to accept from the athlete on the table. After this convincing victory, fans were more wistful for the old Denis than ever, and were eagerly waiting for his next match. In November of 2023, their patience would be rewarded when a long-anticipated rematch was set to take place between Denis and Devon Larratt, this time on the right arm though. While this supermatch was extremely hyped up and rumors were plentiful on the possible resurgence of a prime Denis, in the end, Denis lost the match and decided not to pull the final two rounds after losing the initial three to a dominant Devon. While the match was certainly a spectacle in its own right, what came up during the lead-up to it was perhaps even more entertaining to a lot of onlookers. Tensions had long been brewing between Devon and Denis and his entourage, something that translated to a lot of trash talk between the two athletes' camps, and a seeming lingering feeling by Denis that Devon lacked respect and true sportsmanship, two traits that had become of paramount importance during the Russian's career. By fall of 2024, the seeming ongoing feud of sorts between Denis and Devon Larratt reared its ugly head again, this time involving the aforementioned Legacy Hammer. After the hammer was won by Denis in 2018, he had little opportunity or motivation to defend the title for the left arm number one. Perhaps due to a misunderstanding, or perhaps because he genuinely didn't care that much, Denis did not readily pass on the left-handed Legacy Hammer to who is considered to be the current number one in the world. This in turn of course slighted Devon, who began calling Denis into question on social media. The drama escalated quickly, with multiple other high-profile armwrestlers calling out people on either side of the argument. The debate is still ongoing all across armwrestling content creators and social media discussions, with some blaming Devon for his increasingly abrasive behavior, and some others blaming Denis for his seeming disrespect towards the hammer as a coveted armwrestling trophy. Considering his last few outings on the table, as well as incessant health issues, it remains unclear whether Denis Iplenkov will ever find his way back to the biggest events in any competitive capacity. His story can be seen as somewhat of a warning about abusing one's body in order to achieve and maintain a level of dominance that might otherwise not be attainable. Whether or not that is an acceptable price to pay for greatness, something Denis definitely achieved in armwrestling, is of course up to each individual to decide for themselves. Iplenkov is a great athlete, one of the greatest armwrestlers of all time, perhaps the strongest left arm of all time, and stays generally very humble throughout. I can only hope he returns yet again to the armwrestling community at large, and mitigates his health problems, so he may be graced by his presence for a long time to come. I hope you enjoyed this episode of the Rise and Fall. Leave a like and consider subscribing to the Arm Historian if you did. Also, let me know who you'd like to see covered next on this series. As always, a major shoutout to the Armins and Fingerfolk for the continued and generous support. And until next time of course, Arm Historian, out.