World’s strongest boy ‘Little Hercules’ now wants to work for NASA
World’s strongest boy ‘Little Hercules’ now wants to work for NASA
The man who was once dubbed the 'World's Strongest Boy' and 'Little Hercules' ended up having a very different dream when he grew up.
Richard Sandrak is a Ukrainian-born American bodybuilder who shot to fame at the turn of the millennium when his parents showed off that he had incredibly developed muscles.
Able to lift up to three times his own body weight, Richard's fame soon turned into some notoriety as health experts pointed out that this wasn't a healthy physique for a child to have.
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When he was 11 years old Richard was named the 'World's Strongest Boy' but as he grew up he found that it really wasn't all it was cracked up to be.
As a result of his training, it was reported that the young weight lifter possessed just one percent of body fat - which is dangerously low.
According to Men's Journal, such low body fat can result in serious health issues, such as being prone to serious heart problems, getting sick a lot, and muscles become weaker to the point where you struggle to operate.
Austrian bodybuilder Andreas Munzer, who died over 25 years ago, remains the cautionary tale for any bodybuilders losing body fat.
He died at just 31 years old, with an autopsy revealing he had 0 percent body fat when he passed away.
After a documentary about young Richard was released, his parents received a lot of criticism, with many saying his gruesome training was cruel and unethical for his parents to put him through.
At the time, some medical professionals said that a child of Richard's age wouldn't be capable of producing enough testosterone to get that size.
They suggested he was using steroids - something which is highly advised against for children - though Richard's mother continuously denied those claims.
Now a fully grown man, Richard admitted he was no longer interested in bodybuilding and instead it seems as though his dreams lie in the stars.
In an interview with Inside Edition in 2015, he said: "I don't lift weights anymore.
"People tried to make me seem to be some of freak of nature - there are many kids that have a similar physique.
"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."
Richard's career has mixed up a bit since the 'World's Strongest Boy' days, as of 2015, he was working as a stuntman at Universal Studios Hollywood Waterworld show.
While he still stays in shape with cardio exercises the former bodybuilder also revealed that his dreams lay with joining NASA.
He said he'd wanted to be a quantum scientist and eventually become an engineer for NASA.
At least you know he'd have no trouble putting all the heavy components of a spaceship together.
Joe Harker