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Child bodybuilder ‘Little Hercules’ went viral in the 90s – but what happened next?
Aug 21, 2025
For a while, Richard Sandrak was the strongest boy in the world. Looking like a mini-Schwarzenegger he was touted as being ‘pound-for-pound the most powerful human being on Earth’.
At the age of five he was working out all day every day, and by the time he turned eight, he had rock hard abs, chiselled pecs and could bench press three times his own body weight.
He competed in bodybuilding contests all over the world and became a global phenomenon, hanging out with the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger and the original Hulk, Lou Ferrigno.
Known as ‘Little Hercules’ the tiny bodybuilder’s story was clouded by mythology and untruths for decades. When Metro contacted Richard last year to set the record straight, he was in the throes of alcoholism, drinking a minimum of a bottle of tequila a day.
Now, over a year sober and free from the controlling influences of his past, he is ready to tell his story.
Today, Richard lives a quiet existence with his attorney girlfriend and two cats Miko and Mushu in Los Angeles. His bodybuilding days have passed and he has embarked on a number of careers since, as a stuntman, chef and now as a retail manager.
‘When people talk about a childhood memory, it’s usually associated with something positive. I can’t really relate. For me, it was a daily occurrence to where I was physically and emotionally abused by my dad,’ Richard, 32, explains over video call from his San Fernando Valley home.
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