Wesley Vissers is making moves off the stage to ensure his return is better than ever. In a recent YouTube video aired on August 24, 2025, he reflected on his umbilical hernia surgery, discussed his recovery, and his road back to competing.
Vissers has competed often and in 2024, cemented his name as one of the top threats in the Classic Physique division. He upset Ramon Queiroz at last year’s Arnold Classic, signaling that he was coming for Chris Bumstead’s Olympia title. However, when Vissers hit the Olympia stage, he was off, which bumped him to eighth place. Moreover, his attempt to defend his AC title fell apart, leaving Vissers in fifth place, trailing champion Mike Sommerfeld.
He didn’t sit out after coming up short in Ohio. Vissers traveled to the Detroit Pro. He had some success but ultimately took runner-up behind rising star Matt Greggo. Aiming for a major bounce-back, Vissers is using his time away from the stage to sculpt a stronger package.
Wesley Vissers Recovering from Hernia Surgery, Discusses Bodybuilding Future
In the video, Vissers described the hernia surgery as a “strange” and “surreal” experience.
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“I literally just woke up from surgery, so I couldn’t really film anything in between because you have to put your stuff in a blue box, your phone, camera,” said Vissers. “That was pretty weird. It was like a strange, surreal experience.”
He revealed it was a small umbilical hernia, and he expects to bounce back better after recovering.
“I had an umbilical hernia, a very small one, but everything went alright, so they fixed it up,” he shared. “One step back, two steps forward.”
Vissers revealed that his competition plans will begin next year and said Steve Weinberger made him aware of the hernia back in April.
“It is now the day after the surgery, and as I told you guys, this was a very necessary surgery for me, especially at this time, during my push phase basically. The competition phase will be next year. I had a full year basically to prepare to be the best possible version I can be.”
“I visited Steve Weinberger, the head judge of the Olympia, back in April in New York. I was posing for him, and one of the first things he said was, do you have a hernia? I had no idea. Does it distract from my physique? And he was like maybe a little bit,” he shared.
As for his recovery and progress, Vissers dropped his carbs since he won’t be training. He accepts that he’ll probably lose some fullness in the meantime.
“I’m going to lose a little bit of fullness through these rest days. My carbs will be lower. No training. But that is all way worth it to be truly recovered and improved without a hernia there anymore.”
Vissers will miss out on a special opportunity in less than eight weeks. Earlier this year, six-time Classic Physique Olympia Chris Bumstead announced that he was retiring from the sport, leaving room for a new Olympia champ to emerge. However, given Vissers’ condition, he won’t be there to capitalize on the title vacancy.
With recovery fueling his current diet and training protocol, Vissers will use the time away from the stage to improve. He believes he has the potential to bring his best-ever to the stage sometime in 2026.
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