Born from a martial arts world champion father and an Aerobics star mother, Richard Sandrak, born in Ukrainian, was always destined to become a successful bodybuilder.
At the age of six, Richard was able to sit with eight-pack ABS and a chiseled physique at the age of the age of 210 pounds before he hit adolescence and was called 'Little Hercules'.
After his family had migrated to the US, he became a worldwide phenomenon – competitive in bodybuilding competitions around the world and earning the title of 'The Strongest Boy in the World' between the ages of just eight.
He also landed a role in the film Tiny Tarzan after his fitness schedule received media attention.
By the time he was a teenager, Richard was able to lift his body weight almost three times and had a dangerously low body fat percentage of only one percent.
When a documentary was released about Richard in 2005, many worried viewers were disturbed by the brutal training regime to which the child was exposed – including a strictly 'athlete diet' that robbed him of many of the normal treats and experiences that little boys enjoy.
Some medical professionals also accused Richard's parents of giving him steroids as a child – although his mother Lena Sandrak has denied those claims.
But in an interview from 2007 with The Guardian, the then 15-year-old stated that he was “never forced to do anything against my will.”
Richard Sandrak was named 'The strongest boy in the world' at the age of eight '
Bodybuilder, born in Ukrainian, started his career at a young age and was trained by his father
Richard is now open about the abuse he suffered by his father Pavel
Now 32 years old, however, the former children's star is open about his troubled youth, revealing how he was forced into a bodybuilding career and pushed into unhealthy extremes.
Richard spoke with Metro how he was 'physically and emotionally abused' by his father Pavel Sandrak, who also trained him.
“My father often went into anger -fits and what would start when normal training ended with me at 12 o'clock to do a triple split staircase,” he said.
“There were more times than I could count where a simple training session turned into what felt like a real intense hostage situation.”
He also remembered how his daily routine existed later in the day of training in martial arts and weightlifting. But even when Richard TV watched, he would be forced to do non -stop squats – something he admitted that he considered normal because he “had nothing to compare it.”
Richard also told how his youth was 'very confusing' as a result of the malignant abuse of his father.
In 2003, a particularly violent attack placed on his mother Lena Richard's father behind bars and was later deported to Ukraine.
“It has been a relief since then,” he announced, talking about how his father's absence opened a whole new world of possibilities and experiences for him.
Despite making friends and trying out fast food for the first time, Richard described himself in his adolescence as socially awkward ' – a quality that he blames for the militant environment in which he was raised.
Richard says he was forced to train a few hours a day and had to follow a strict diet
Richard Sandrak (L) and Marc John Jeffries come to the premiere of “Get Rich of Die trying” in Grauman's Chinese Theater on November 2, 2005 in Hollywood, California
Richard, 9 years old, depicted with his parents Pavel and Lena Sandrak and his sister Anastasia
Hulk Hogan and Richard Sandrak depicted in Los Angeles in 2005
Richard also realized that bodybuilding had never been his passion, so that the sport was given up at the age of 16.
'In a sense, weightlifting was almost like PTSD. It was connected to my past, “he said.
He finally turned away from the spotlights and has since lived a quiet life.
But even though he is freed from the abuse of his father, Richard still had to fight with different demons.
After tasting his first sip of alcohol at the age of nine and surrounded by a drug and drink-driven party lifestyle that is accompanied by a children's star, Richard noticed that he was fighting alcoholism.
At his lowest point he would drink a whole bottle of tequila a day, which he said he distracted him from his grief.
But after touching 'Rock Bottom', Richard decided to stop drinking and he has been sober for more than a year.
Although he has allowed bodybuilding his back, Richard is now considering a career as a personal trainer or nutritionist.
He lives with his girlfriend and their two cats in Los Angeles and currently works as a retail manager.
'When I look back on everything that I have experienced, it feels like I look back on the life of another person. And I would say that I am especially happy with the person I am today. '
