Bodybuilder Wesley Vissers is taking advantage of his time away from competition, focusing on growth and recovery. In a recent YouTube video, aired on July 27, 2025, he broke down 12 upper-body gym hacks to build quality muscle.
Vissers remains one of the best Classic Physique talents in the world. In 2024, he claimed gold over Ramon Queiroz at the Arnold Classic, positioning himself as a frontrunner for the Mr. Olympia. However, when it was time to shine at the biggest show of the year, Vissers missed the mark and settled for eighth place.
Attempting to defend his crown at the Arnold Classic, Vissers was unable to hold off the newly minted champion Mike Sommerfeld. Before calling an end to his season, “The Dutch Oak” took a close second behind Matt Greggo at the 2025 Detroit Pro. Now, with growing quality muscle as his number one priority, he walked through a few tricks he’s learned during his career.
The Upper Body Gym Hacks No One Talks About That Actually Work
Find his 12 gym hacks from the recent YouTube video below:
Tips #1 & #2 – Side Lateral Raise Wrist Pain and Enhanced Stretch
Vissers explained that using an ankle cuff for cable side lateral raises will put the stress directly on the side delts.
“Struggling with dumbbells? Use an ankle cuff on the pulley instead. It puts the load off the wrist and puts it exactly where you want it, on the side delts.”
For a better stretch during this exercise, he recommended attaching the cuff to a higher pulley.
“Do you want a better stretch on the side delts? Attach the cuff on a higher pulley which emphasizes tension on the stretch, which means more growth.”
Tips #3 & #4 – Try Incline Side Lateral Raises & Unilateral Side Extensions
For shoulder and triceps growth, Vissers credited the incline side lateral raise and unilateral side extensions. He prefers the unilateral side extensions because they tax the triceps without causing elbow pain.
“Use the incline side lateral raise instead. Drop the ego, cut the weight in half, and let gravity do the work.”
“Elbow pain during triceps extensions? Use unilateral side extensions instead. Align the cable parallel to your upper arm; it mimics the elbow’s hinge, offloads the joint, and targets the long head with precision.”
Tips #5 & #6 – Fix for Elbow Flare During Preacher Curls, Stop Front Delt Take-Over on Incline Bench Press
To avoid elbow flare on preacher curls, Vissers uses a band or slingshot around his elbows.
“Are your elbows flaring out during preacher curls? Wrap a band or slingshot around your elbows, it keeps your arms locked into a straight path.”
When performing on the incline bench press, Vissers prefers the lowest incline possible to avoid the front delts from taking over.
“The front delts taking over too much on the incline bench press? Set the bench to the lowest incline possible, still hits the upper chest without dragging your shoulders into it.”
Tips #7 & #8 – How to Feel Lower Lats on Lat Pulldown, Pec Deck Chest Contraction Issues
Next, he laid out how to reap maximum benefits from lat pulldowns and pec deck reps.
“Go unilateral and drive the shoulder down while pulling the elbow toward your hip. Less arm, more lat. You’ll feel the difference instantly.”
“Not feeling a full pec deck chest contraction? Stop thinking about your hands. Focus on squeezing your biceps together. That’s how you lock in the chest.”
Tips #9 & #10 – Stronger Biceps Contraction, T-bar Row Hurting the Chest
He shared a small tweak for curls to make supination easier. Then, urged lifters to use a soft pad on t-bar rows to avoid pressure on the rib cage.
“Shift your hand towards the inside of the dumbbell. Now, gravity pulls the weight outwards, making wrist supination easier, and that bicep peak will hit harder. Small tweak, big difference.”
“Use a soft pad on the bench. It spreads out the pressure on your rib cage so you can stop thinking of the pain and start focusing on the reps.”
Tips #11 & #12 – Take Biceps Out of T-Bar Rows, Optimal Rest Time Between Sets
During t-bar rows, Vissers takes the biceps out of the movement by employing a wide grip.
“Make your grip go from small to wide on the t-bar row,” explains Wesley Vissers.
Lastly, Vissers shared that you can calculate an optimal resting period after a set by waiting for your heartbeat to drop under 100 beats per minute.
“First, make sure your heartbeat is below 100 beats per minute. Secondly, make sure you’re not out of breath. Lastly, make sure the muscle itself is not still fatigued and there’s no lactic acid there.”
Vissers is always trying to educate fans on how to lift safely and effectively. He recently justified why he’s no longer programming the barbell bench press in his routine. Alternatively, Vissers is using the Smith machine bench press, dumbbell bench press, and machine bench press.
Boasting one of the most complete upper bodies in the Classic Physique division, Vissers relies on these 12 gym hacks. He believes using them can help anyone level up their upper body training over time.
Watch the full video from the Wesley Vissers YouTube channel below:
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