VIDEO: Where is infamous eight-year-old bodybuilder now?
Richard Sandrak became known as the World's Strongest Boy and it caused much controversy.
Martial arts world champion Pavel Sandrak and his wife, aerobics star Lena, welcomed their son Richard into the world in 1992.
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In 2000, the parents and their son made waves when the Ukrainian-American eight-year-old was expected to become the next big thing in bodybuilding.
People were shocked to see the physique of the child, who was not even a teenager yet.
In 2005, he was dubbed the World's Strongest Boy and featured in a documentary of the same name.
Richard was also given the nickname 'Little Hercules'.
10. RICHARD SANDRAK
— Heisjayy 𝕏 (@Jayysen_) November 30, 2022
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When he was six years old, he looked like a little version of an adult bodybuilder. It is therefore not for nothing that he was soon nicknamed "Little Hercules", inspired by the Greek demigod Hercules, who also had unprecedented strength at a young age. pic.twitter.com/HxxbfJREBc
Richard looked like an adult bodybuilder and his parents believed this was his future career path.
Many people assumed the same but were disturbed by the child's look and concerned about his welfare.
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His exercise routine included 600 push-ups, 600 sit-ups and 300 squats while working with his father.
As a teenager, he was able to lift three times his body weight and became a karate master.
He also had only 1% body fat which is considered dangerously low.
There were also claims that he might have been using steroids as medical professionals said it was impossible for a child of his age to be producing enough testosterone to get that size.
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His parents fully denied these claims.
Richard has remained out of the spotlight for over a decade, but is he still as ripped as he was back then?
As it turns out, the former bodybuilding star in the making has settled for a more normal and healthy life.
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In 2015, he was interviewed by Inside Edition, and he shared that he doesn't lift weights anymore.
He is still proud of his past:
I’m very proud of my past. It’s not something I don’t want people to know, it’s just that I’m not going to be stuck living in it.
He also revealed that his dream job would be to become a NASA engineer while he currently is working as a stuntman at Universal Studios Hollywood Waterworld show.
You can watch his full interview and transformation here:
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Main image courtesy of @SantoniGregory/X