Richard Sandrak (born 15 April 1992), also known as Little Hercules, is a Ukrainian-born American former bodybuilder, martial artist and actor, known for his muscular physique at an extremely young age, and for his appearance in the documentary The World's Strongest Boy. Early life Richard Sandrak was born 15 April 1992, in a small village in Ukraine, to Pavel Sandrak, a martial arts world champion, and Lena Sandrak, an aerobics competitor. In 1994, aged two, he moved with his family to Pennsylvania, where his parents believed he would have a better life. He began his training soon after they arrived. His father, who had trained in taekwondo, introduced him to various stretches and light weight training. As young as 5 years old Richard would work out with his father seven hours a day doing 600 push-ups and 300 squats. He also had a very strict diet that didn't allow junk food or sweets. Instead his diet consisted heavily of protein shakes and vegetables allowing for a 1% body fat percentage, which many doctors urged is extremely dangerous. Doctors have said body fat this low can cause serious muscle and nerve damage among other health issues including heart failure. The family subsequently moved to California, with the intention to break into show business. The family met trainer Frank Giardina, while touring one of Giardina's gyms, and hired him to help gain publicity for their son. During an interview Richard's trainer admitted that there were no toys in the boys home, he had never visited a playground before and was rarely allowed outside. The fact he was homeschooled meant his parents were able to implement such strict exercise routines. Career Sandrak's parents, Pavel and Lena, started him out with light exercises and martial arts techniques which soon progressed into more intense bodybuilding training. At the age of six, he could lift on standard bench-press, claiming his title as world's strongest boy and the nickname "little Hercules". By eight, he was bench-pressing . During his childhood, Sandrak worked out with his father, doing up to 600 push-ups and sit-ups a day, as well as 300 squats. Dedicating all of his time towards training, he never had time to play with friends and experience a typical childhood. Being on a strict diet enforced by his father, Sandrak was never able to eat junk food or any sweets. Sandrak recalls days when his father would