Pavel Sandrak was a Ukrainian martial arts champion, according to the New York Post, and as The Guardian reported, when his son, Richard, was 2 years old, the family moved to the United States with dreams of fame and fortune. He'd hired a manager, he had dreams of selling nutritional supplements, and before long, he was making money with his impossibly-ripped son, Richard, as a brand, doing the talk-show circuit.

Doctors, however, weren't convinced. For a preteen boy to be that ripped, they said, would have to have involved steroids, as the testosterone levels required for that physique wouldn't be present until puberty.

There were more causes for concern. Richard didn't go to school but was home-schooled. In 2005 ABC News reported that in an interview with 20/20, Richard's telling of his childhood illuminated how lonely it was due to his father's relentless controlling and abusive ways. And according to The Sun, his fitness routine bordered on torture; the training sessions would last hours, during which the elementary school-aged bodybuilder was reportedly expected to do 600 pushups.

Little Hercules' career as a fitness prodigy ended when he was 11 after Pavel assaulted Richard's mother and went to prison. Richard cut ties with his father at that time.

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