You may remember seeing photos of a kid with the physique of an experienced bodybuilder circulating on the internet. Those pics weren’t fake — they showed Richard Sandrak, who was lifting weights when he was barely out of diapers. Richard is now 24 years old. What’s he up to? Read on to find out.If you like this story, don’t forget to give us a LIKE and COMMENT!
This is one of the original photos of Richard that went viral.
Richard was just six years old at the time of the pictures.
Richard was born in Ukraine in 1992.
His parents, Pavel and Lena, were a martial arts world champ and an aerobics instructor respectively. The family moved to the United States when Richard was two.
Richard’s parents gave their son a workout program.
It started with stretching and aerobics, but quickly progressed to light weight training.
After moving to California, the Sandraks met a trainer.
The Sandraks wanted to get their son into show business, so they hired trainer Frank Giardina to bulk up Richard — and raise publicity.
Richard progressed quickly.
At the age of six, he could bench-press 180 pounds. Two years later, he was up to 210.
When Richard’s photos hit the internet, they inspired a heated debate.
While there was no doubt that his strength and physique were impressive, critics wondered if it was really okay for parents to push their kids to these lengths.
Unfortunately, Richard’s childhood was not a feel-good story.
Richard’s dad pushed him hard, making him do hundreds of reps each and every day. Unlike most kids, he was never allowed to eat junk food or sweets.
When Richard was 11, his dad went to jail for assaulting his wife.
At this point, Richard quit bodybuilding. But the story doesn’t stop there — click ahead to find out what he’s up to now!
Richard is no longer into bodybuilding, but he’s in great shape nonetheless.
Rather than powerlifting, he focuses on cardio exercises to keep fit.
He has an awesome job, too.
Richard is a stuntman at Universal Studios Hollywood. He seems to find getting set on fire and jumping from platforms less stressful than the competitive bodybuilding circuit.
He says he doesn’t regret 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 told Inside Edition.
You can check out Richard Sandrak, the former Little Hercules, in the video below.
