The boy once known as "Little Hercules" at the age of eight has undergone a significant transformation in the past 24 years.
Richard Sandrak is a Ukrainian-American prodigy whose physique stunned the world at just eight years old.
The young boy was born into a family of fitness enthusiasts, with his father, Pavel Sandrak, a martial arts champion, and his mother, Lena Sandrak, an aerobics star.
His early years were marked by an intense training regimen, which included 600 push-ups and sit-ups plus 300 squats daily. This led to him earning an eight-pack abs and remarkable muscular definition in his arms and legs.
By the age of eight, the young boy was excelling in his field, which is why he received the nickname "Little Hercules" and three years later, the title of "World's Strongest Boy".
As he grew older, Richard could lift three times his body weight and had mastered karate. However, his grueling training, which led to a dangerously low body fat percentage of just one percent, raised concerns about his health.
Richard was featured in a short documentary about his childhood.
Unfortunately, the young boy's parents faced widespread criticism and public backlash for their controversial training methods.
Many questioned the ethics of such intensive training for a child. Medical experts even chimed in, doubting the possibility of a boy his age naturally achieving such a physique without the use of steroids - performance-enhancing drugs - a claim that Richard's mother vehemently denied, per The Guardian.
While many believed he would keep his muscular build into adulthood, Richard has since chosen a different path.
In a revealing 2015 interview with Inside Edition, the man revealed that he doesn't "lift weights anymore" adding: "If anything it got boring to me."
"People tried to make seem to be some of freak of nature – there are many kids that have a similar physique," he reportedly added, per The Mirror.
Despite the challenges and the stigma attached to his early fame, he expressed that he is proud of his past.
Now 32, Richard works as a stuntman at the Universal Studios Hollywood Waterworld show, favoring setting himself on fire over bodybuilding. He aspires to become a NASA engineer, reflecting his unwavering ambition.
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