Richard Sandrak
| Richard Sandrak | |
|---|---|
| Personal Info | |
| Born | 15 April 1992 Ukraine |
| Professional Career | |
Richard Sandrak (born 15 April 1992), also known as Little Hercules, is a Ukrainian-born, American bodybuilder, martial artist and actor, renowned for his muscular physique at an extremely young age. He is probably best known for his appearance in the documentary The World's Strongest Boy, which has been shown on several TV channels across the world, and for his dedication to bodybuilding.[1] However, this diehard ambition for achieving such a perfect body was not totally self-motivated. His father, Pavel Sandrak, a martial arts world champion, and his mother, Lena Sandrak, an aerobics competitor, both pushed their son to the limit to become a child prodigy..[2] At the age of two Richard and his family moved from a small village in Ukraine to the United States where his training began.[2] His parents started him out with light exercises and martial arts techniques which soon progressed into more intense bodybuilding training. At the age of six Richard was maxing out at 180 lb (82 kg) on standard bench-press. During this early age he claimed his title as world’s strongest boy as well as his nickname “little Hercules”. As his reputation precedes him, at the age of eight he was bench pressing 210 lb (95 kg).[1] The young boy had become a world-wide icon as he began traveling across the country taking place in competitions, promos for nutrition products, as well as photo shots for numerous magazines. He also appeared on several TV and radio station broadcasts, one being The Howard Stern Show. As he got older his career slowly died down. His most recent Hollywood debut was a casting role in the 2009 film, Little Hercules.[3] Richard, being in his late teens still trains hard, but after being separated from his father he has cut his training down to four days a week, 90 minutes a day.
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Career [edit]
Richard was born April 15, 1992, in a small village in Ukraine.[2] His parents decided he would have a much better life living in the United States, therefore moving to Pennsylvania when Richard was two years old.[3] Richard began his training soon after they arrived in the states. His father who had trained in Taekwondo introduced him to various stretches and light weight training when he was at a young age.
Personal life [edit]
During his childhood, Richard was kept in strict seclusion. Dedicating all of his time towards training, Richard never had time to play with friends and experience a true childhood.[4] Being on a strict diet, enforced by his father, Richard was never able to eat junk food or any sweets.[4] Richard recalls days when his father would eat pizza in front of him, while he was left to eat a head of lettuce. Richard’s father was taken away from their family after being charged with abuse of his mother.[4] Richard claims his father never forced him into bodybuilding. "I've never been forced to train or do anything against my will," he said. "My parents used to train all the time and I wanted to join in. It was mostly my choice. It's just what I grew up doing. I was never forced. It was never an issue."
Richard graduated from Yutan High School and is currently attending San Diego State University.[4]
References [edit]
- ^ a b "The World's Strongest Boy - Young Bodybuilder Tells of Isolated Childhood". ABC News. 14 March 2005. Retrieved 26 October 2009.
- ^ a b c "The World's Strongest Boy - Little Hercules." kidz world. N.p., n.d. 8 Jul 2010.
- ^ a b "Biography for Richard Sandrak." Internet Movie Database. N.p., n.d. 8 July 2010.
- ^ a b c d "Richard Sandrak Transitioning Into Normal Life After Living as Child Hercules." Zimbio. N.p., 26 October 2009. 8 Jul 2010.
