Wesley Vissers Biography: Height, Workout, Diet and More

Wesley Vissers is a Dutch IFBB Pro bodybuilder that competes in the Classic Physique division. He rose to prominence by winning the 2024 Arnold Classic. This article explores his complete profile, biography, workout routine, diet, and statistics.

Wesley Vissers Statistics

Full Name: Wesley Vissers (Bodybuilder)
Weight	Off-season Weight	Height
245 lbs (111 kg)	280 lbs (127 kg)	6’2” (188 cm)
Age	Date of birth	Nationality
29 years	May 6, 1993	Dutch

Wesley Vissers Biography

Early Life

Wesley Vissers was born on May 6, 1993, in Oosterhout, Netherlands. He started training when he was 14 and eventually took up bodybuilding as a profession. However, the progress in the initial years was not optimal as Vissers was not yet sure if he was going to pursue a career in bodybuilding. 

“But after a few years, I started to notice muscle gain in my body and that’s when it starts to get fun because then you realize, ‘Oh, something is actually happening when I’m training in the gym. So then I’m going and going. You get stronger and that just builds up on itself.”

After completing his graduation in Nutrition and Dietetics from HAN University of Applied Sciences, Vissers started pursuing bodybuilding because the progress in bodybuilding convinced him that he had a good chance of making a career in the sport.

Wesley Vissers always appreciated the physiques of Golden Era bodybuilders which were characterized by great aesthetics and proportions. Additionally, they were a lot more pleasing to the eye as size was not the primary objective or winning criteria on a competitive stage.

In today’s bodybuilding scenario, the Classic Physique division comes closest to the idea of a Golden Era physique. Vissers wanted to build a similar kind of physique and always felt that the Classic Physique division would provide him with an opportunity to do so. 

But things don’t always go the way you want and it took Vissers a long time before he could compete in the division.

Bodybuilding Career

After training for nearly seven years, Wesley Vissers started his bodybuilding career by winning the 2013 and 2014 editions of the FlexCup in the Men’s Open division.

He continued to participate in Men’s Open and super heavyweight divisions in the European circuits for the next few years as Classic Physique had not arrived on the continent. However, ‘The Dutch Oak’ did the most of it when the opportunity finally showed up.

Wesley Vissers earned his IFBB Pro Card by winning the 2018 Royal London Pro in the Classic Physique division. According to him, this was the first Classic Physique show in Europe. Speaking about his transition to Classic Physique, ‘The Dutch Oak’ said:

“This was the perfect opportunity to go from the super heavyweight class, which I was in, in the Netherlands to go and do what I really wanted to do – the Classic Physique class. That worked out great.”

Vissers’ first major professional bodybuilding appearance came at the 2018 Chicago Pro and he passed with flying colors, securing a victory at the show. He made the Mr. Olympia debut in 2020 and walked away with an 11th-place finish.

Although he did not break into the top echelons, Vissers got the necessary experience of competing on the grandest stage of bodybuilding. He came back stronger with a podium finish at the 2021 Mr. Big Evolution Pro Portugal and a win at the 2021 Battle of the Champions Pro Poland.

The Dutch bodybuilder continued to build on the momentum over the next couple of years, winning several pro shows and improving standings on the Mr. Olympia stage. In 2023, Vissers finished seventh at the Mr. Olympia.

Wesley Vissers seems to be reaching the peak of his physical and mental abilities in the ongoing 2024 competitive season. The 2023 Arnold Classic Physique champion Ramon Rocha Queiroz was a massive favorite heading into the 2024 edition of the show.

However, Vissers pushed aside Queiroz and other top contenders like Urs Kalecinski and Breon Ansley to win the 2024 Arnold Classic in one of the biggest upsets in the sport. The Classic Physique division has revolved around bodybuilders Chris Bumstead, Breon Ansley, Ramon Rocha Queiroz, Urs Kalecinski, and Terrence Ruffin for over half a decade. Wesley Vissers’ addition to the mix has opened up a door to a world of new possibilities in the division.

Competition History

• 2024 Arnold Classic – 1st place
• 2023 Romania Muscle Fest Pro – 1st place
• 2023 Mr. Olympia – 7th place
• 2023 Dubai Pro – 3rd place
• 2023 Europa Pro – 1st place
• 2022 Mr. Olympia – 8th place
• 2022 Yamamoto Pro Cup France – 1st place
• 2022 Arnold Classic UK – 3rd place
• 2021 Mr. Olympia – 11th place
• 2021 Battle of Champions Pro Poland – 1st place
• 2021 Mr. Big Evolution Pro Portugal – 3rd place
• 2020 Mr. Olympia – 11th place
• 2019 Romania Muscle est Pro – 1st place
• 2019 Arnold Classic – 10th place
• 2018 Mr. Olympia – 16th place
• 2018 Chicago Pro – 1st place
• 2018 Royal London Pro – 1st place (Earned the IFBB Pro Card)
• 2017 Juliette Bergman Grand Prix (Men’s Open) – 1st place
• 2017 Pepa Grand Prix (Men’s Open) – 4th place
• 2017 Mr. Golden Era, NSP Online Competition – 1st place
• 2016 Juliette Bergman Grand Prix, Junior Division – 1st place
• 2016 Arnold Classic Europe, Junior Division – 1st place
• 2014 Juliette Bergman Grand Prix, Junior Division – 1st place
• 2014 Ironman and Ironmaiden, Junior Division – 2nd place
• 2014 FlexCup (Men’s Open) – 1st place
• 2013 FlexCup (Men’s Open) – 1st place

Wesley Vissers Workout

Wesley Vissers utilizes an incredibly simple but effective training regimen to build and maintain a world-class physique. He employs both isolation and compound movements using free weights as well as machines.

He does not adhere to any extreme school of thought when it comes to training and tries to implement the best of all training methods to get the maximum benefits.

For most exercises, Vissers starts with relatively lighter weights and works his way up in weight in later sets. Technique-wise, the Dutch bodybuilder focuses on getting a full contraction and full stretch on every rep. According to him, this is a great method to gauge the mind-muscle connection and also to induce hypertrophy.

While he does utilize techniques like drop sets, supersets, and others to increase the training intensity, Vissers relies a lot on unilateral exercises. According to him:

“In my opinion, the unilateral movements require a lot of focus and actually more effort than the bilateral movements because you really have to focus on contraction here a whole lot.”

Staying injury-free is of utmost importance to a professional bodybuilder’s career. The time lost in recovering from injuries can shave valuable time off their physical prime and sidetrack career growth. Wesley Vissers is extremely careful about avoiding injuries. The 30-year-old dedicates a considerable amount of effort to warm-up before the workouts.

Along with dynamic warm-up drills, Vissers performs warm-up sets before jumping into the heavier sets for most of the exercises. He often adheres to a 10 to 12-rep range for the bigger muscle groups. However, for smaller muscles like arms and calves, the rep range can be higher.

The focus of Wesley Vissers’ training routine during the off-season lies in building muscle mass, improving the physique, and adding more facets to an already impressive physique. The approach to training varies greatly during the competition prep.

Vissers believes that as long as you can retain strength during the competition prep – especially the last three to four weeks – you don’t have to worry about losing muscle mass. He focuses solely on maintaining the muscles and dropping the body fat during competition prep.

Push Day

For push day, Wesley Vissers includes different variations of incline and decline pushing exercises to work the entire upper body pushing muscle group – chest, triceps and shoulders – instead of focusing on pectoral muscles alone.

The incline and decline variations of these exercises help emphasize different parts of the muscles, allowing them to achieve a more balanced and complete growth. Apart from these, Vissers performs isolation exercises like cable chest flyes and triceps pushdowns to isolate the muscles and induce hypertrophy more effectively.

Overall, the workout includes:

Exercise	Sets	Set 1	Set 2	Set 3
Machine Decline Chest Press	3	160 kg, 13 reps	140 kg, 14 reps	130 kg, 15 reps
Incline Smith Machine Bench Press	3	130 kg, 11 reps	110 kg, 14 reps	110 kg, 11 reps
Cable Chest Flyes	2	25 kg, 14 reps	25 kg, 11 reps	–
Cable Triceps Pushdowns	3	98 kg, 15 reps	98 kg, 14 reps	92 kg, 16 reps
Overhead Cable Triceps Extensions	2	31.5 kg, 16 reps	31.5 kg, 14 reps	–
Sideways Incline Dumbbell Lateral Raises	3	10 kg, 15+ reps	10 kg, 15+ reps	10 kg, 15+ reps

Pull Day

Vissers usually starts his pull-day workout with a high row. Unlike a horizontal row or a vertical pulldown, the high row is performed at an angle. Vissers feels that this movement enables a better contraction of the muscles and helps build thickness in the back muscles.

He includes a combination of horizontal and vertical pulling exercises to build a wide and thick back. One of the noticeable aspects of Wissers’ pull-day training is the fact that he still uses an assisted pull-up machine instead of performing regular bodyweight pull-ups. While most elite bodybuilders are capable of doing pull-ups unassisted, they often use the machine to avoid relying on the momentum.

While most of the back exercises are compound movements, Vissers does throw in a few effective isolation movements like cable pullovers to work specific parts of the muscles. He feels that lower back movements like weighted hyperextensions and hip-glute bridges have helped him build the lower back muscles without affecting other muscle groups.

For Biceps, Vissers works with unilateral high cable curls to build mind-muscle connection. The Dutch bodybuilder also includes a few abs exercises like cable crunches and hanging leg raises to work the core during his pull-day workout.

Overall, the pull day workout includes:

Exercise	Sets	Set 1	Set 2
Cable High Rows	2	143 kg, 10 reps	143 kg, 13 reps
	2	148 kg, 9 reps	148 kg, 10 reps
Chest-Supported Unilateral Cable Rows	2	85 kg, 14 reps	85 kg, 14 reps
Assisted Pull-Ups	3	35 kg, 12 reps	35 kg, 12 reps
Cable Pullovers	2	92 kg, 16 reps	92 kg, 15 reps
Weighted Hyperextensions	2	30 kg, 14 reps	30 kg, 14 reps
Unilateral High Cable Curls	2	27 kg, 14 reps	27 kg, 15 reps
Cable Crunches	2	103 kg, 14 reps	103 kg, 10 reps

Leg Day

At 6’2” tall, Wesley Vissers is one of the taller competitors in the Classic Physique division. As a result, he has to pay special attention to lower body development to make sure it is not overdeveloped or underdeveloped. For the longest of times, hamstrings were the weaker parts of the Dutch bodybuilder’s physique and he brought them up by putting in extra work.

Even now, Vissers starts his lower body workouts with lying leg curls. Apart from working the hamstrings, it is a great exercise to warm up the knee joints, which are crucial in performing most of the lower body movements.

“It’s one of the best hamstring movements that there is, full range of motion, full stretch is very important here, full contraction as well.”

Additionally, the 30-year-old believes that allocating the energy for weaker parts of the physique at the beginning of the workout can also be more beneficial. Vissers then performs several compound and isolation exercises for the lower body like leg extensions and leg press to force the legs to grow.

Overall, the workout consists of the following exercises:

Exercise	Warm-Up Sets	Working Sets
Lying Leg Curl	4	12 reps, 10 reps, 16 reps
Leg Extensions	3	12 reps, 16 reps
Belt Squats	4	9 reps, 7 reps, 15 reps
Leg Press	2	8 reps, 8 reps, 11 reps
Calf Press (on leg press machine)	–	17 reps, 9 reps

Wesley Vissers Diet

Wesley Vissers starts his day with a balanced meal consisting of healthy portions of fats, carbohydrates, and protein. His busy schedule does not permit eating full elaborate meals throughout the day. Therefore, the Dutch bodybuilder includes shakes and snacks to meet the daily nutrition requirement.

In different phases of his training and diet, Wesley Vissers relies on different food sources. But during the lean bulk maintenance phase, the 30-year-old relies heavily on Whey protein as a primary source of protein in his diet.

“To me, Whey is a food source. So for example, eating chicken four times a day or fish, beef etc… Whey is just another one of the choices that you can choose. It’s a whole protein source. So all the essential amino acids are in there for muscle growth. It tastes amazing, if it digests amazing for you, it’s a good choice. There’s nothing wrong with it, especially in phases where your digestion or appetite is a bit lower.” 

During this phase, Vissers eats most of the carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins, and other micronutrients in the earlier part of the day. The meals towards the end of the day are high in fats and protein. Vissers says it helps him avoid bloating and maintain a flatter stomach.

Below is an example of a full day of eating during Wesley Vissers’ lean bulk maintenance phase:

Meal 1

• Cream of Rice Cereal – 150 grams
• Blueberries – 150 grams
• Dark Chocolate (85 percent)
• Whey Protein Isolate – 2 Scoops (60 grams)

(All the ingredients mixed with water and blended)

(Energy – 938 Kcal; Carbohydrates – 120 grams; Fats – 18 grams; Protein – 68 grams)

Meal 2 – Pre-workout Shake

• Oatmeal – 150 grams
• Whey Protein Isolate – 2 scoops / 60 grams

(Energy – 814 Kcal; Carbohydrates – 104 grams; Fats – 12 grams; Protein – 71 grams)

Meal 3 – Post-workout Meal

• Cream of Rice Cereal – 160 grams
• Whey Protein Isolate – 2 scoops / 60 grams
• Banana – 1 whole
• Dark Chocolate Bar (85 percent) – 1 bar

(Energy – 1052 Kcal; Carbohydrates – 153 grams; Fats – 17 grams; Protein – 65 grams)

Meal 4

• Golden Rice – 150 grams
• Grilled Chicken
• Vegetables
• Olive Oil Topping

(Energy – 914 Kcal; Carbohydrates – 121 grams; Fats – 20 grams; Protein – 61 grams)

Meal 5

• Skimmed French Kwark – 300 grams
• Whey Protein Isolate – 2 scoops / 60 grams
• Oatmeal with Dark Chocolate
• Dark Chocolate Bar – 25 grams
• Blueberries – 125 grams

(Energy – 695 Kcal; Carbohydrates – 66 grams; Fats – 18 grams; Protein – 62 grams)

Meal 6

• Whey Protein Concentrate – 2 scoops / 65 grams
• Peanut Butter – 40 grams

(Energy – 477 Kcal; Carbohydrates – 6 grams; Fats – 23 grams; Protein – 59 grams)

Total caloric and macronutrient intake for the day:

• Energy – 4890 Kcal
• Carbohydrates – 570 grams
• Fats – 108 grams
• Protein – 386 grams

To Conclude…

Wesley Vissers has a promise to become one of the most prominent European bodybuilders of all time. His rise in the Classic Physique division certainly ushers a new era of young and hungry competitors vying to take the top spot from dominant champion Chris Bumstead.

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