While you may not recognize the name Richard Sandrak, you’ll surely know his nickname, Little Hercules. The young star became interested in weightlifting when he was a toddler. By the time he was just eight years old, Sandrak was dubbed the strongest boy in the world, as he could bench press more than twice his weight. He reportedly had less than 1% body fat (far below the 12% that would make a child underweight) and became a media sensation, earning thousands a month from various endorsements. He was a staple at bodybuilding conventions and even starred in his own documentary, “The World’s Strongest Boy,” in 2004. “My parents used to train all the time and I wanted to join in,” he told The Guardian. Furthermore, he assured readers, “I’ve never been forced to train or do anything against my will.”
However, life wasn’t perfect behind the scenes. When he was 11, his father went to prison for physically abusing his mother and Sandrak cut all ties with him. In 2015, a 23-year-old Sandrak told Inside Edition that he also cut ties with his former passion. “I don’t lift weights anymore,” he revealed. “If anything it just got boring to me.” Instead, he got a job working as a stuntman at Universal Studios Hollywood and set his sights on a surprising dream career — working for NASA as an engineer or being a quantum scientist.
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