Hanson’s fitness journey began in the University of Miami’s student gym during his second year. Growing up in a second-generation Chinese-American household where health and fitness were never valued, Hanson committed to making drastic changes to his lifestyle to change his body. He began to take fitness and nutrition more seriously after realizing the health consequences of extreme dieting.

As a young but impressionable college student, Hanson gradually gravitated towards bodybuilding and powerlifting training to get bigger and stronger after observing his peers doing the same.

At 25, he landed on the sport of Olympic Weightlifting and has fallen in love with the obsessive, technically complex, and thrilling nature of the sport. The pursuit of athleticism, paired with a deep curiosity for human physiology propelled him to seek a career in coaching.

Outside of the gym, Hanson makes as much time as possible to be with his close friends, spending too much time (and money) at local Asian markets, restaurants and dessert shops.

He especially enjoys cooking and baking in his free time, as it is a manifestation of literally everything he values - presence, artistic expression, technical skill, precision, patience, and taste (in every sense of the word).