What is Varya's weight?
Approximately 80 to 85 lbs (36 to 38 kilograms)

What sports does Varya participate in?
Varya is trained in acrobatics, circus juggling skills, strongman act skills, she can jump far, run fast, she is an excellent arm wrestler, she is an excellent all around nwrestler, she is trained in boxing and kick boxing, although there are no hits to the head for safety reasons. Varya has excellent balance, has won many powerlifting competitions. She is a good skate boarder.

Just how strong is she?
Impossible to tell, because her father only allows her to show about 75% of her maximun strength for safety reasons. The father, Uri, will not allow Varya to strain, so most lifts she does to set strength records are done will relative ease. Examples of her strength include at age 10 flipping her father to the mat in wrestling training and at age 10 easily carrying 3 small people on her shoulders.

Just how strong will she be?
Impossible to tell. As she gets older, how strong she will be three years from now is impossible to tell. Her fathers believes by age 12 she was stronger than him, Uri is a professional circus strongman who weighs about 250 lbs (115 kilograms)

Does strength run in family?
Yes Varya's great grandfather in the 1910's carried a giant weight on his back, about 2,600 lbs (about 1,200 kilograms). Her father Uri is strong. The mother is also strong. Uri (father) has stated in interviews with newspapers he believes his side of the family has a rare strength gene that few others have.

How strong is the girl's mother Larisa?
Larisa never lifted weights until meeting Uri, when she was in her mid twenties, after meeting Uri and getting married she decided to start training, she discovered she was unusually strong as well, even gently exercising while pregnant. Today Larisa can lift 6 kettlebells at one time, a total weight of about 225 lbs (110 kilograms)

When was it discovered Varya was strong?
Because strength ran in the father's family, Uri (father) felt Varya would be stronger than normal, and he was right. Varya walked earlier than normal and showed unusual strength at 1 year of age.

Is weight training safe for Varya?
Varya has been involved with weight training and entering powerlifting competitions since age 7. She was winning powerlifting competitions at age 7. Until age 8 or 9, Varya was never sick, while other children her age had the flu or colds or other sickness, Varya stayed healthy. As far as injuries, Uri has been involved with weightlifting for more than 25 years, he trains Varya very carefully, never allowing her to strain. Varya since age 7 has been examined by doctors repeatidly. Her growth is normal (by age 10 she was far taller than normal) and her weight was normal. Blood tests were taken and all were normal and healthy. Bone tests were taken, to make sure it safe to lift heavy weights.

Will this be a free website?
Yes, for now plans are for it to be a free website. The family could put up a pay membership site, and maybe some day they will, but for now the family wants all who want to view the photos to be able to view them.

What does Varya eat when training?
Things are slightly better for family now, but still difficult (food inflation is high in Ukraine) When Varya was age 7 and 8, she mostly ate just noodles and water because that was all the family could afford. Now things are a little better, Varya eats at school for lunch a piece of bread and a cup of tea. For breakfast she has one egg and a glass of juice and bread. For dinner still often eats macoroni noodles, sometimes they can afford a little bit of meat. The family tries to make sure they can afford for Varya to drink at least one glass of milk each day for calcium. Interestingly, Uri thinks his daughter would be much stronger if when she was younger they could have fed Varya some meats, fish, cheese and eggs.

What is the purpose of this website?
The purpose of this website is to answer questions that people have been posting for several years on the Internet. Also, the purpose is to help give the family some publicity which might lead to some television guest apperances or magazine articles.

What type of training does Varya do?
Varya does a variety of training, usually training with her father. She has been known to lift over 100,000 lb. (50 tons) in one training session, usually without tiring. Part of the day's training is spent on building strength. Other parts are spent on stretching. Contortion. Kick boxing. She works on balance and juggling. She also does meditation and yoga. The family encourages the girl to read her schoolbooks, do homework and read literature (she recently finished a "Tom Sawyer" novel).

How has exercising helped Varya Akulova?
More confidence. Better health. Better appetite. Some studies have indicated young people who exercise learn well, Varya's grades in school are outstanding.

What safety features are used in training?
Common sense. As mentioned, Varya's father does not allow her to strain. Safety is very important. Varya has never had a serious injury while training. The father Uri supervises all training, and Varya helps him train too. In fact, Varya "spots" him while he does bench presses.

What are her earliest strength feats?
By age 7, at a weight of about 52 lbs (23 kilograms) Varya could already easily carry her strongman father. By age 8 Varya could lay flat in the air with her shoulders on one side and her ankles on the other side and she could support the weight of 4 children sitting on her body (about 220 lbs total / 105 kilograms) By the time Varya was aged 9, weight about 62 lbs (29 kilograms) Varya could hold her 140 lbs (65 kilogram) mother over her head easily. By age 9 Varya could also easily lift both her parents on her back using leg strength.

What are her best lifts today?
Today her best lifts include lifting a 300 lb. (140 kilogram) barbell off the ground. She can easily bench press 150 lb. (70 kilograms). One amazing thing about Varya Akulova is that her upper body (arms, shoulders) are as strong as her lower body. Within the past 6 months, Varya has lifted 3 people on her back while lifting 3 kettlebells off the ground at the same time, she did this at age 12 and her bodyweight was about 84 lb. (40 kilograms), the total amount of weight she raised up was 775 lb. (350 kilograms). She lifted about 9 times her bodyweight, QUITE AMAZING. After this lifting performance, many Russian newspaper proclaimed her "strongest girl in the world".

Has Varya won any weightlifting competitions?
Yes. Varya has won many over the years. When at a lesser weight, under 70 lb., she usually had to compete against women who were much heavier, by at least twenty pounds usually.

Is Varya smart?
Varya, as reported by many newspapers, has shown extreme intelligence. She started reading very young. Varya is also a talented painter. She reads a lot, recently finishing some Mark Twain books.

Does Varya enjoy weightlifting?
Yes. One newspaper reported that on many occasions Varya wanted to keep training long after her father told her to stop. She enjoys athletics. The parents do not force her to lift weights. She has the right to train how often she wants and how much she wants. They do not make her train. She enjoys it.

Do they work in a circus?
For about one and a half years, several years back, they worked in a circus. More recently they have been doing street strength shows for tips (gratuities) and some guest apperances on some television programs in Russia and Ukraine.

Is her strength real?
Yes. Hopefully soon some video clips can be added. People tend to believe video over photos. Many people have posted on message boards that her strength is not real, photos are not real. They are real photos you will see.

Is her strength natural?
The family speaks out against steroids and in interviews Varya has stated she does not use them. All blood tests taken of Varya have been normal.

How can a skinny, tiny girl be so strong?
Doctors who have examined her think she was just born with strong tendons and ligaments. Varya's father, a former circus strongman, believe he and Varya both have a rare genetic gene.

How long has she been doing feats of strength?
She was age 8 when she joined her mother and father in the family's acrobatic bstrength circus act. Show was a big success, people greeted Varya with flowers in towns where the circus went. Traveling in the circus show was difficult, though. Many towns. Much travel. Plus they took (in a pushcart) most of their own training weights with them on trains and trucks. Very difficult for the father to have to lug a giant case filled with hundreds of pounds of barbells and kettlebells up ramps in trains and trucks.

Has Varya made an exercise video for kids?
No.

Has the family published a book on their strength feats?
No.

Can Varya do a one arm pullup?
Yes. Easy for her.

Can Varya do a one arm pushup?
Yes. Easy.

Can Varya curl her own weight?
Yes, Varya can easily curl her own weight (about 85 lb.) with two hands.

Does Varya participate in kick boxing competitions?
No. She does do kick boxing for exercise, to build strength and flexibility. Varya is also a talented boxer with a very powerful hit.

Does Varya box in competition?
No. She does box and kick box for exercise, but it is important to state there are no hits to the head for safety reasons.

Why did it take so long to put up a website?
First, let me say the Akulova family has never "surfed" the web. They have never owned a computer. They know nothing about setting up a website and considering they have struggled to buy food they had no money to pay someone to set up a website. This website was set up for free for the family by a nice individual skilled in computers. Very nice of the person. The family's contribution to this website will be taking more photos to add to the page. In the event they are invited to appear on television, info can be posted here.

Will there be a message board on this website?
For now no. Maybe in the future. What languages does the family speak? Mother speaks Russian, Ukraine, English and French. (mother is a trained, educated former University professor by the way) Varya speaks Russian, Ukraine and a little English, she is learning English in school. Father Uri speaks Russian and Ukraine.

What are Varya's goals?
Varya would like to go to the Olympics for Ukraine if she is old enough. Varya holds great pride in her nation of Ukraine. Varya has thought of setting up a female athletic training camp for strongwomen when she is older. Varya and family hope some additional opportunities open up from this website, such as a television appearance or magazine or newspaper articles.

What are Varya's hobbies?
She enjoys and is a talented painter. She likes athletics. She enjoys reading. She dreams of traveling, wants to see the United States on a vacation (Disney World and Universal Studios). She dreams of visiting Australia, seeing the "kangeroos" Just like any other preteen, she enjoys hanging out with her friends from school, reading about the newest fashions. Varya likes clothing. Pop music. She also enjoys doing nice things for people, helping her father train with weights, and she often brings her mother breakfast in bed. She is a very well behaved girl. Her grades in school are almost perfect. She loves reading about the newest women's fashions and despite the economic circumstances, she tries to dress "stylish" The entire family loves American movies, one of their favorites is "Titanic" The family enjoys when invited to strength events, they enjoy seeing the sights in Ukraine, mostly Kiev museums and art galleries. Family visited St Petersburg, Russia, for a strength show in 2001 and enjoyed seeing the palaces.

What are some other strength lifts?
Varya Akulova can juggle with round 82 lbs (39 kilogram) weights in each hand as easy as lifting tennis balls, she can grab hold of her father in wrestling and throw him through the air, in kick boxing she once accidentally kicked her father so hard he flew 3 feet back, she can lift kettlebell over her head with one arm so heavy man grown men would struggle to lift it off the ground. She can lie flat in the air between two chairs and support the weight of two large people. She can lift 82 lb. dumbbell with one pinkie (smallest finger). She can hold her mother over her head while her mother holds on to a barbell loaded with two 82 lb each kettlebells, total weight Varya Akulova can hold over her head is about 300 lb. (140 kilograms)

Can you give me some more examples of Varya's strength?
As of age 12, year 2004 her best lifts were -- Varya can lift a 150 lb dumbbell off the ground with one hand. Varya can leg lift over 500 lb easily. She can carry her mother and father easily. She can walk around a room with 3 boys on her shoulders. She can easily lift a 125 boy over her head with one hand. She can lift 3 men at one time. She can do pushups with 2 girls sitting on her back. She can do two arm pull-ups while a girl hangs on to her. She can do one arm pull-ups. In wrestling, she can easily grab hold of her 250 lb strongman father and throw him on to the mat.

What are her goals for strength feats?
As reported by newspapers, Varya by age 16 wants to go to a junkyard and lift up and turn over small cars. She wants to try bending steel bars. She would like to go to an Olympics representing Ukraine in weight lifting. Varya is very proud of her Russian heritage.

What are Varya's favorite foods?
Varya loves beef and she and her father love sweets. Varya loves chocolate. Please do not send the girl any chocolate, because they cannot eat food from strangers (for obvious reasons) The mother prefers cheese and vegetables.

What type of work do they do?
They do a family strength act, all in all about 10 to 15 different feats of strength, acrobatic feats of strength. In recent years they have been in street performances, where their act is a big hit. The family has appeared on a few television shows in Russia and Ukraine, on one Russian show Varya supported the weight of 7 men easily (1,550 lbs) They once traveled to Siberia to be in a 2 week strength show, but that was much work because it was 5 days EACH WAY by train, sleeping on a bench seat. Difficult travel.

Where is Varya from?
Varya was born in Ukraine, her heritage is half Ukraine and half Russian.

What else about Varya?
As reported by newspapers, after Larisa and Uri married, Larisa went to work as a university professor while Uri worked as a bodyguard. Neither occupation earned much money. Teachers in Ukraine earn about fifty US dollars per month, if that.

She see that Uri miss the old occupation of being in a strength act as a circus strongman. She agree to be his partner in strength show, helping with the feats of strength

When Varya was at age 3, in mid 1990's, she started performing with family in the circus acrobatic act. She not lift heavy weights then, she just a talented acrobat. Money was very slim back then, family survived on a lot of bread, water and tea. Of course this diet made it tough when their occupation relied on strength and agility. They had no home, they lived in a run down motel that was dirty and smoky. Their one room had no private bathroom, they had no refrigerator only a heating element to cook one pan on. It made for a difficult life, but through it all the family stayed positive and upbeat, and Varya kept to her studies and was reading very early and by age six could name just about every major muscle and bone in the body.

When she was age six, two drunk miners, each big and tall, cornered Varya in a dark hallway, they made faces at her, yelled at her, not allowed her to

pass. Varya reached down and grabbed both on the legs and moved them easily. They never bothered her again.

When Varya was age eight, a local circus offered the family work. This provided a little better eating and some better income, though it was only about ten U.S. dollars per day, not much. After a year and a half of hard circus work, being on the road with her family in the acrobatic act, finally they have enough money to buy a small apartment, which they did. Finally they have a home, Varya's first home arrive at age nine.

Isn't Varya too young to be a in a circus act?
Remember in Russia, Ukraine, Eastern and Western Europe (also in Asia and especially China) it is not that unusual at all for family members to follow in the footsteps of their parents and grandparents. In these countries it is not that unusual to see children as young as age 3 or 4 training in athletics.

How was Varya schooled when on the road?
When traveling by circus, the family put Varya in different schools along the way, she excelled at every school using earning the top score or at least in the top 10% This amazed some of her teachers. Also the mother home schooled the girl when on the road.

How can I see the act in person?
For a few people living in Ukraine, the family will put on a strength act, like at a birthday party, or a wedding or corporate event. For security and other reasons, the family would be reluctant to put on a strength act in a private residence outside Ukraine, but a public event (wedding, corporate party, large birthday party) might be okay.

Would they like to be on television?
The family is very proud of Varya, whom many newspapers have called the " strongest girl in the world " or " world's strongest girl " Sure, television appearances would be nice. Please allow at least 20 days notice. It might be possible for family to travel to Kiev to be interviewed on television.

Is Varya a gymnast?
Yes, Varya is a talented gymnast. She performs more acrobatic type routines than stuff like bars or floor exercise. She can do all the usual gymnastic routines, like backflips, cartwheels.

What do Varya's fellow students at school think of her?
The mother says most students treat her normal, just like any other student. Once or twice the family has put on a strength act for the students.

Would family do a magazine or newspaper article?
Family has done many articles in newspapers and magazines in Russia and Ukraine. Yes, they would be interested in magazine or newspaper articles. E mail the address and info can be forwarded.

Where does Varya train?
Varya trains in Krivoy Rog, Ukraine. This is a large industrial city of 700,000 people, its main industry is mining (coal?) Varya also trains at home.

What equipment does Varya use in training?
She mainly uses good old fashioned kettlebells. Also barbells. She does dips. Pushups. Handstands. Sit up board using a weight held behind her neck. Kettle bells seem to be her favorite equipment.

Why haven't I heard of Varya before this? If she's so amazing and her strength is real why haven't more magazines and newspapers ran stories?
Good question. The family is poor they not have an agent or a company who helps promote them. The fact they are in Ukraine is another factor. They speak a different language (Ukraine, though mother is fluent in French and some English) Being in Ukraine makes it difficult for them to appear on television in many nations. It is a long travel time, although not that long by plane. On occasion reporters have interviewed the family in Krivoy Rog, but it a long way to that town from the capital of Kiev (about an 8 hour train ride, 1 hour flight) Their rather isolated location is probably the biggest reason why so few stories have been run on the family. The family would love to appear as a guest on American television, to show how fitness and exercise helps keep young people from being overweight with diabetes and obesity.

Sponsorship? Would Varya be good on a television commercial or sponsoring a sport's wear or shoe?
Yes. She is a very inspirational person, she had a very hard life, a difficult upbringing due to poverty, yet she is inspirational, upbeat, cheerful, she helps her fellow students understand about fitness, she is very smart, cooks for her mother, she speaks out against steroid use. A fine, upstanding young lady, thanks to loving parents.

How can I contact the family? Write them a letter?
The family is trying to locate a business address where mail can be sent. They are also looking into getting a post office box for mail. You can e-mail the address given on this page, message can be forwarded to the family. Polite messages will be forwarded.

Is Varya a public speaker?
Not really. But she does talk to other young people her age about the benefits of exercise to lose weight and avoid youth diabetes. The family is quite concerned about rising youth obesity and diabetes.

So the father Uri has been a circus strongman for over 25 years. Yet he mentioned in an interview Varya would be stronger than him by age 12? Was that difficult on his pride?
Absolutely not. Uri was proud that his daughter was attaining such strength. Uri first predicted when Varya was age 8 by age 12 she would have more power. If they could have fed Varya better quality foods besides noodles and bread back then, Varya might have exceeded Uri's strength by age 10.

These tests for steroids, are they accurate?
Every test Varya has taken has been negative for steroids. The family is well aware of the dangers of steroids. They are very protective of Varya. Besides tests, there are other ways it is evident a female might be taking steroids. Facial hair. A low, deep "man's" voice. Severe acme. Excessive muscle. Aggressiveness. Anger. Varya has none of these. In fact, until age 11 Varya had little muscle visible at all, she was skinny.

How does Varya's strength rank against these strongmen who win contests?
Naturally no matter how incredibly strong an 85 lb girl is, she cannot complete directly with a strongman who weighs in over 260 lb. But when compared on a "pound for pound" basis, Varya's strength ranks way up there. In September 2004 for a television program in Russia, Varya easily lifted 3 people on her back and then reached down and lifted 3 big kettle bells. She lifted a total of 350 kilograms, or about 775 lb. Her body weight was around 84 lb. This means she easily lifted about 9 times her body weight. On a pound for pound basis that is amazing by any standard.

What are "nicknames" people have given Varya?
Many have been posted on the Internet. Muscle Kid. Muscle Girl. Strongest Girl of the World. Girl Hercules.

If I want the girl to perform in my fitness show or on my television program, what equipment will I need to supply?
Not much equipment is necessary. Maybe 2 kettle bells weighing 54 lb. each approximately. Maybe another 2 kettle bells weighing 82 lb. each approximately. A regulation 45 lb. barbell and a bunch of weights to go on the barbell (say 350 lb. in weights to go on barbell) Also two 100 lb. each dumbbells. Other equipment (if any) you would have to ask the family directly.

So Varya is an authentic "child prodigy"?
People can get by just fine in life without "labels" but yes, Varya probably would fall into a category of a prodigy. But make no mistake, the family never forgets Varya is a kid, so when the family has days off from the street shows or circus acts, they make sure they do plenty of fun things. Varya is also allowed to have all the usual sweets that we know children love. Cookies. Cake. Candy. Chocolates. The family does not, repeat, does not have Varya on any special protein shake diets or vitamin diets. (yes, Varya does take some vitamins). Isn't it exploiting Varya to have up a website and have her doing feats of strength?

Is it exploiting young gymnasts who do promotions for products, win medals, travel for gymnastics contests?
Many gymnasts have their own websites. What about young people who play in football? Baseball? Sometimes if they have great talent they end up in newspapers and on television. A few posts have been put on the Internet about this being exploitive, strangely these same people rarely post about how exploitive it is when a parent allows their 10 year old son or daughter to sit on a sofa and watch television, drink three cans of sugar soda a day and weigh in at 200 lb. The rate of poor health and obesity among young people (especially in United States) is a huge, huge problem. Really the only thing the Akulova family has done has encouraged Varya to be at her best physical fitness level. By the way, Varya loves a can of cola now and then. Varya and her father both have a "sweet tooth" But it's all in moderation, yes Varya has an occasional can of soda, but she exercises each day. Varya would never sit for 3 hours and watch television then go and sit for 3 hours and play a video game.

Does Varya get asked for her autograph?
Not sure. It is for sure that after strength performances many people arrive and give her flowers and want to have their picture taken with the world's strongest girl.

The two video clips up now showing the circus work, where are they from?
Those two clips are from the first circus Varya and family did their strongman acrobat act at. That footage is from the year 2000 when Varya was 8 years of age. Please don't complain about the quality of the footage, it is amazing enough they were able to afford to pay a man to make a video of the act. It is amazing enough that there is video camera footage of the act.

Will the video clips stay up?
This is difficult to answer. Maybe yes. Maybe no. Since this is a free site, if too many people download and view too many video clips, an additional charge is placed on the webmaster. This is not fair to the webmaster, who has been very very kind to make and place up This website free of charge for the family.

So why not put up a pay site, charge ten or fifteen dollars a month membership and place up many video clips?
This is an option. Share your thoughts with the webmaster, send an e-mail. What would you prefer? A pay site with a small membership fee each month and more frequent updates and a lot of video or a free site with limited video clips and more sporadic updates (say between 5 and 7 new photos a month added) Share your views. After the cost of running the website is covered, the family could receive the remaining money profits.

Can I e-mail the address on this website with my suggestions on what feats of strength I would like to see the family perform?
Sure. Yes. Be aware the father with 25 years experience has seen and read about just about every strongman feat out there. If you don't see Varya doing it most likely it is because the father uses extreme care. The parents will not let Varya do feats that might cause an injury.

I've read so many things about Varya on the Internet. What to believe?
True anybody can put up anything on the Internet. Most posts seem to be decent and positive fortunately. There's a few negative posts out there. This website will have direct interaction from the family. What you read on this website you can believe. We're working on getting a business mailing address so the family can receive letters from fans. This way you can receive a personal, handwritten response back from the mother (who speaks English, French, Russian and Ukrainian ).

What is one feat Varya has not yet done but might in the future?
Well, the harness lift is very popular in strongman acts. This is where a person has a padded harness that goes over the shoulders and hips. It allows the person to lift very heavy amounts of weight using the strength of the legs and hips with little strain on the back (if the harness is fitted and made properly by a professional). It costs about one hundred to two hundred dollars to make a professional strongman's harness, so the family has never been able to do this feat of strength. The harness must be made professionally, the chains must be very strong otherwise it could break or an injury could occur.

If Varya had a harness, how much could she raise?
Difficult to answer. Depends on how high the object is lifted (how much the legs are bent) To make a guess if Varya leg lifted with a harness a weight off the ground only one to two inches, bending the legs only a little, she could probably get between 800 lb. And 1,000 lb. Off the ground, but that is a guess. Maybe more? Maybe less?

Does Varya get respect at power lifting competitions?
Yes. Usually when she sets a new record in a lift, she gets big applause. Once she entered a bench press competition, and even one judge was surprised at her strength.

What are some of the ridiculous things people have said to the family?
In Ukraine one man told the family if they allow her to train with weights, by the time she was a teenager she would look just like a man.

How often will this site be updated?
Remember it is a free site, updates might be sporadic. Most likely somewhere between two and five new photos a month will be added.

Will there be video?
Some video clips will be posted with maybe more on the way. Since this is a free site, it depends on how many downloads there are as far as how much additional video clips are added. If downloads exceed a certain amount, a fee is charged to the webmaster, making keeping mup video or adding more prohibitive. This is a downside of a free site.

What type of diet does the family wish it could give Varya?
Considering Varya's active day, the type of diet the family wishes they could give Varya might be along these lines. Breakfast: two eggs, some bacon, orange juice, a glass of milk and a banana. Lunch: a sandwich with some lunch meats, a glass of milk and an apple or slice of cheese. Dinner: two types of vegetables, fish or turkey or a beef dish, a slice of bread, milk to drink, apple sauce and for dessert a piece of cake. Because Varya is active all day, whether at school or in the gym training, she has a big appetite. 

What type of carnival rides does Varya like?
Rollercoasters. She's brave!

How much video material will eventually be posted on this site?
Depends on how many downloads and how much traffic arrives at this site. If this site gets a lot of visitors each day, it might become too expensive to have video material up. The family itself has several hours of taped material, most filmed with an old home video camera so some footage is not so great. Needless to say, to put up upwards of 2 hours of video footage would require a pay site. The cost to host so much video would be huge.

Who is the family's favorite actor?
Take a guess, hey hey. It's an action adventure star who had his start in fitness and bodybuilding. Who is the family's favorite actress? Do not know the answer to this one, but it probably is an actress known for her strength, agility and fitness. The family respects female athletes.

Does Varya train for muscle or strength or both?

Right now Varya does not plan to enter women's bodybuilding, she mainly trains for strength, flexibility and endurance. Big muscles do not always equal big strength, there are many examples of some very slim people ( men and women ) who have performed astonishing feats of strength in the past 100 years. Big muscles do not always equal big strength, and being skinny does not always mean weakness. A lot of how much strength a person has depends on tendons and ligaments. Varya (like her father) was born with extremely strong tendons and ligaments.

Does Varya like to show her strength?
Sure. Varya is very proud of her accomplishments. She especially likes to talk to other young people about staying fit, exercising and being positive about life. Varya keeps a very positive outlook and urges other young people to keep fit to stay at proper weight and avoid youth diabetes. She also reminds other young athletes to STAY AWAY FROM STEROIDS.

What countries has Varya appeared on television?
Programs in Russia, Poland, Ukraine and years ago a German television show have featured Varya. Family would love to appear on a television program in other nations, like USA or Canada or England or France.

Isn't Varya too young to work?
Varya first joined her family in a circus acrobatic act at age 8. That isn't that young for children from a circus family background. Considering the family had to go on the road for the circus performances, if Varya did not join the act she would have sat on the seats watching the act. By joining the act, she was able to learn the circus arts.

How was the circus act received?
In many towns, Varya was a big draw and often before and after the act people gave her big bundles of flowers. Remember in Europe and Russia, the circus is a respected profession. Circuses are very popular in Europe. There are many of them.

Is Varya healthy?
Varya has been examined by many doctors over the past six years since she has been involved with weight training. Her growth is above normal, muscle functions far above normal, all blood tests are normal and healthy.

What is the reaction to her strength in Ukraine?
Reaction was mixed. Many in Ukraine openly spoke out against having a young girl train in athletics. Others felt it was okay. Now that Varya is older now, there is much less controversy than when the girl was age seven. When the girl was seven years of age, some complain that the family allow her to exercise with weights. Predictions were made by people six years ago but interestingly enough none of the predictions have happened. People said Varya would be injured and damaged from exercising, but six years later she has never had a serious injury in weight training. How many young people who participate in soccer, football, swimming, basketball or tennis in six years have never had an injury? Some people told the family instead of having Varya do athletics, why not teach her how to sew, cook and tend to her dolls? Well, as it turns out Varya and her mother can sew and despite being in sports Varya proudly owns several dolls and stuffed animals. Varya is a good cook who brings her mother breakfast in bed.

Does Varya lead a normal life?
Yes. She goes to school. She has friends.

Why haven't more newspapers run stories on Varya?
Actually in Russia and Ukraine many have, probably more than fifteen articles in the past six years.

Will you post video from Varya's television appearances?
Unfortunately in Ukraine and Russia, some television shows pay for an appearance but did not provide the family with a copy of their appearance.

Is Varya recognized in public in Ukraine?
Occasionally. in May 2004 at age twelve, seventy-five pound Varya went with family to Kiev to appear in an outdoor strength exhibition along with other strongmen. Checking into the rooming house, they told the employee they were with the show which was paying for the room. Several in the lobby and the employees did not believe Varya was there for a strongman show. People said she was just a small girl, there was no way she was in the show. Varya grabbed hold of her 250 lb. father, hoisted him over her head and walked around the lobby. Some people were so shocked they had to take a seat.

Can I send Varya a letter via regular mail?
For now, no. The family is working on renting a business address to receive mail. For now you can use the e-mail address ( contact@varyaakulova.com ) and questions and polite comments can be forwarded. If a business address is listed, please if possible when you write enclose an IRC coupon (international reply coupon) These are sold in post offices around the world (cost about $1.75 each in USA) This coupon allows the family to go to the post office and get a free air-mail stamp to respond. Buying an air mail stamp in Ukraine is quite expensive, about one USA dollar. That might not sound like much, but to a person in Ukraine that is a lot. For many of the average workers in Ukraine, buying one air mail stamp could take a day's pay.

If I write the family, what should I not say?
Just be polite, although the parents would, of course, review all mail and e-mails before Varya sees them. Also, you need not write the family lodging complaints that Varya is too young to lift weights and that they as parents should not allow it. In Ukraine some have already lodged these complaints, as reported by some newspapers already the family was interviewed for Varya's health concerns and a local newspaper wrote a negative article in the year 2001 As has been stated, the girl has been seen by many doctors the past 6 years and has had medical tests run and X-rays taken. She is in fine health.

If I send a e-mail to the address ( contact@varyaakulova.com ) will the family receive it?
The webmaster will forward messages to the family that are not abusive, rude or spam. Write In English please. Maybe responses to individual questions can be answered on the web page.