Destruction and triumph are on the menu for Wesley Vissers, who plans to enter this Mr. Olympia contest as hungry as ever. In a recent The Menace Podcast with host Dennis James on September 15, 2024, Vissers laid out how he plans to expose Chris Bumstead’s weaknesses on stage next month. In addition, he offered his top five picks for Classic Physique and the Open with less than four weeks until the sport’s ultimate showdown.
It’s been a breakout season for ‘The Dutch Oak.’ In March, he seized his first Arnold Classic title in a stunning upset over Ramon Queiroz, cementing himself as the de-facto number one contender to Chris Bumstead’s Classic Physique Olympia title. To further solidify his position in the highly competitive division, Vissers competed and won gold at the Arnold Classic UK show, giving him even more momentum ahead of the sport’s biggest event on the calendar.
Having bested Queiroz, who took second to Chris Bumstead at the Olympia for two years running, Wesley Vissers could find himself battling with the dominant Canadian titleholder next month. He’s made it clear he plans to give Bumstead the ‘toughest battle he’s ever had in his life,’ and based on the physique he showcased throughout the season, he stands a solid shot at doing that.
Wesley Vissers Plans to ‘Expose’ Chris Bumstead’s ‘Injured Muscles’ Gives Top 5 Picks for Classic and Open at 2024 Mr. Olympia
In shape, he believes Chris Bumstead could win a sixth title, however, Vissers doesn’t see this year’s marquee show going like the last few.
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“The goal is to give Chris Bumstead the toughest battle he has had yet so far. So every time now, we all know at the Olympia when Chris, in shape, he’s going to win. Yeah, they can do a two-man call-out with Ramon but we all know pretty much immediately that Chris is going to win. At least that’s how I viewed it. They try to make it exciting with Ramon but there’s still too much of a difference between him and Chris.”
Even though he wasn’t considered a frontrunner to defeat Queiroz in Ohio, he achieved the improbable. Now, he believes he can replicate that formula against Bumstead on the horizon.
“I want just like I said before the Arnold, everybody pretty much thought Ramon was going to take it, right? You think Ramon is going to do it, usually it’s a battle between Ramon and Urs, and now Breon actually got into the mix as well in a good way, but we all thought if we’re honest, okay, Ramon is just going to win the Arnold Classic but I said beforehand, it’s not just going to be Ramon and who’s going to be second, I said it’s going to be a battle between me and Ramon.”
Once he’s standing alongside Bumstead, he believes his advantages will shine, such as his leg separation.
“At least I want to battle him when I’m standing next to him then you’ll see the truth and the same thing will happen with Chris Bumstead.
The exact same things they said about Ramon, the tiny waist, the supposedly bigger legs, all that disappears the moment that I actually stand next to the guys. That’s what I want to happen at this Olympia.”
He adds that Bumstead ‘isn’t perfect’ and plans to overpower his weaknesses with his strengths. And he isn’t the only figure in the bodybuilding community to suggest as much, IFBB judge Terrick El Guindy believes Vissers can overpower Bumstead on stage as well.
“He isn’t perfect, no one is perfect. When I stand next to him I want to overpower his weaknesses and my weaknesses won’t be so easily overpowered by his strengths,” says Vissers.
Although Bumstead displays exceptional conditioning, Vissers contends that his muscles are injured and that he can expose these flaws, especially when judges take a look at the hamstrings, quads, shoulders, and biceps.
“He can get very conditioned but like Milos said before, there’s nobody who has the amount of deep cuts and striations that I have for example, in the legs, which will be exposed when you stand next to Chris who has injured muscles, like in the hamstring, the quads, the shoulder, biceps, all of that, I do have.
I have all the clean muscles, the clean lines, every single detail in the back double bicep, you can see no blurring of the shoulders. All of these things, the moment that they see that in a bodybuilder, the judges so well wait a second it is possible to have those details there.”
Vissers also states that he’ll start the show off with an advantage since competitors must hit the front double biceps pose first, which he believes will be more potent than Bumstead’s.
“It’s going to be a tough battle. That is my true goal with Chris,” he shared. “It’s going to be a challenge and my big benefit here is that the first pose, the mandatory pose is the front double bicep, which to be honest, I’m very confident I can win that pose.”
To believe it, you must see it, and Vissers certainly envisions a path to victory against the highly-dominant Bumstead.
“Yes. I really honestly think it’s possible. I really do think so,” says Vissers. “It’s like everybody always says you got to go to a show and always think you can win but this time I honestly think I can win.
If I peak perfectly, if I’m better than the Arnold, better proportions, if my presentation is top-notch, if I just never slip up on stage which at the Arnold I didn’t either but this time I’ll be even better with each individual pose, so hold the pose, just don’t show any weakness at all next to Chris, it’s going to be possible.”
Vissers’ Top 5 Classic Physique Predictions for the 2024 Mr. Olympia
Find Vissers’ top picks for Classic Physique at the 2024 Mr. Olympia below:
- Winner — Wesley Vissers
- Second Place — Chris Bumstead
- Third Place — Ramon Queiroz
- Fourth Place — Urs Kalecinski
- Fifth Place — Breon Ansley
Vissers’ Top 5 Open Predictions for the 2024 Mr. Olympia
Check out Vissers’ top picks for the Open Mr. Olympia below:
- Winner — Derek Lunsford
- Second Place — Hadi Choopan
- Third Place — Andrew Jacked
- Fourth Place — Samson Dauda
- Fifth Place — Nick Walker
Winning the Classic Physique Olympia isn’t just for bragging rights, a hefty cash prize is on the line, and on top of that, competitors are remembered forever for attaining this coveted title. The experience can be life-changing and fans haven’t seen the Classic title switch hands in over five years.
The anticipation surrounding the battle between Vissers and Bumstead is palpable, with the champion ensuring his fanbase that he can ‘beat these guys’ even if they’re at ‘120 percent.’ Don’t miss the 2024 Mr. Olympia next month from October 10-13 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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Watch the full video from the Muscle and Fitness YouTube channel below: