Hendel was born and raised in eastern Washington, and graduated from Washington State University with a Bachelor’s of Science in Kinesiology, minoring in strength and conditioning. While taking classes, Hendel interned with the strength and conditioning staffs for football, baseball, volleyball, golf, and track and field teams. Through that program, he presented at two undergraduate research conferences on the effects of different training methods on chronic degenerative diseases.

Hendel spent two years working in physical therapy, primarily with young athletes and post-operation patients. Hendel's team traveled with a local semi-professional football franchise, providing pre-game and on-field treatment for players.

Hendel's competitive background is in track and field and weightlifting. Since beginning coaching, he has been certified under the NSCA (NSCA-CSCS), USA Weightlifting (USAW-L1), Adaptive Training Academy (ATA-AIT) and CrossFit (CF-L1). Hendel is currently pursuing a Master’s of Education in Teacher Leadership at Belmont.