His idol Arnold Schwarzenegger won the title no fewer than seven times in total and Wesley Vissers would be satisfied with a place in the top five. The 30-year-old gym owner from Best will participate in the Mr. Olympia competition in Florida. “Think of it as the Olympics for bodybuilders.”
Wesley wasn’t born a whiz in the bodybuilding sport. He has been practicing the sport intensively for about fifteen years and took part in the Mr. Olympia pageant. He is now the best in the Netherlands and number 8 in the world. However, success did not come to him.
“My father also did strength training, so there was always a big man that I – literally – looked up to. So of course I wanted to be like that. From the age of fourteen he took me to the gym. There I learned everything about how to become more muscular. Once I succeeded and I saw that hard training in the gym results in a muscular body, it became more and more of a passion.
Reactions
Wesley has been growing muscles for years. The reactions – especially in the Netherlands – are not always positive. “There is a completely different culture here compared to America. When you walk around there, people really come up to you and compliment you on the hard work you have done to get this far. In the Netherlands this is much less. They don’t consider bodybuilding as a top sport.”
In addition, the sport is often associated with the use of stimulants, such as anabolic steroids. According to Wesley, he stays away from that and has other ‘secrets’. “Train hard and eat a lot of healthy food. And above all, don’t go to festivals, don’t drink, don’t go out and don’t eat out. But also skip birthdays in terms of cake.”
Footsteps
Wesley’s dream – just like Schwarzenegger – is to win the Mr. Olympia. He is currently still busy with his own gym in Best, but who knows, he may one day follow in the footsteps of his great example. “He was just incredibly good and his physique is still fantastic. However, he was able to get into the film business faster because I think he had already won six Olympias at my age!”
Wesley has yet to win his first. The competition is therefore much greater than in Schwarzenegger’s time. “For me it takes a little longer. So who knows what will happen next…”
Source: Studio040
For Eindhoven News: Lila Mehrez
