Anyone who has tried to build muscle and get into shape understands how much hard work and dedication it takes. Now, unsurprisingly, the former 'World's strongest boy' has come out about how much abuse he endured to get into the shape he was when he was in the public eye.
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Bodybuilding as a pre-pubescent is not only completely unnecessary but also incredibly difficult. This is why when Richard Sandrak appeared, bench pressing 3 times his weight, and covered in muscle, people were amazed.
I think most people knew that this wasn't coming from a good place. Like the poor girls that are forced into the archaic 'Beauty Pageants,' his physique was probably the result of a deranged parent. In a recent interview, the 'World's Strongest Boy' has opened up about the abuse.
25 years after his fame, the now unrecognizable man has spoken about what he had to endure. "When people talk about a childhood memory, it's usually associated with something positive. I can't really relate," he said in the interview. "For me, it was a daily occurrence to where I was physically and emotionally abused by my dad.
The Public Turned A Blind Eye To Blatant Abuse
The young boy competed in many competitions growing up, winning titles in the US. He was dubbed 'Little Hercules' and met numerous famous bodybuilders. These people, of anybody, should have known what goes into a physique like this.
However, it wasn't until the release of the documentary, 'The World's Strongest Boy' that people opened their eyes to the abuse. The boy was brought up by a martial arts world-champion father and an aerobics-star mother. Their obsession with physical mastery was projected onto him.
The documentary revealed just how strict his life was. Brutal training regimes and diets denied him many of the pleasures young children should be given. He was living a very reduced life because of his parent's control.
Recalling the abuse he suffered in the training, he said "My father would often go into rage fits, and what would start as a normal workout ended up with me doing a triple split kick for 12 hours." Continuing, he said, "There were more times than I can count where a simple training session turned into what felt like a really intense hostage situation."
No child would choose to live a life that strict. In this case, his life wasn't his own and his parents were controlling him. However, I feel like this should have been spotted. But, in a country that still has something as gross as child beauty pageants, perhaps not.
