Classic Physique star Wesley Vissers has revamped his training routine ahead of the 2026 Mr. Olympia. In an August 30 video, he broke down how he’s building his shoulders with zero pressing movements.
Vissers has emerged as one of the most popular athletes in the IFBB Pro League. Often compared to Arnold Schwarzenegger, “The Dutch Oak” has steadily climbed the Classic Physique ladder. In 2026, he picked up momentum with major victories at the Arnold Classic and Detroit Pro.
However, at the Arnold Classic UK, Vissers fell short against Mike Sommerfeld. Despite the setback, he believes simple tweaks to his training could help him win his first Olympia title in less than four weeks.
Wesley Vissers’ Shoulder Workout Explained
Find his exercises from the video below:
- Cable Lateral Raise
- Incline Dumbbell Front Raise
- Machine Rear Delt Fly
- Incline Lateral Raise
- One-Arm Cable Front Raise
- Reverse Fly
Cable Lateral Raise
During the breakdown, Vissers said that changing the cable pulley to hip height allows for maximum tension throughout the range of motion.
“You want tension from the bottom to the top. There’s one thing I like to change on this cable pulley, and it is not putting it all the way down, it’s actually putting it a little bit up, right above the knee or even at hip height to ensure the tension won’t leave once you are here.”
Incline Dumbbell Front Raise
Next up were the front delts. Without any pressing movements, Vissers stuck with incline front raises to build muscle:
“The front delts, they also need attention. I used to think my pressing took care of my front delts, and it does to a degree. I won’t be doing any shoulder presses or military presses in this workout. It’s all about isolating the shoulders as a bodybuilder would.”
Machine Rear Delt Fly
He moved on, isolating the posterior delts with the machine rear delt fly. He recommended high volume and lighter weight.
“This is one of those isolation movements for the rear posterior delts. What I like to do here is higher volume, slightly lower weights. Don’t think about the 8-12 rep range, think about the 15+ rep range. This is something a lot of people tend to not do the correct way. They go way too heavy.”
Incline Lateral Raise
Vissers explained the common mistake he sees when people perform incline lateral raises:
“The mistake people make? Go all the way here [too vertical], but the moment you become here, it becomes difficult.”
“I’ve been doing it for a long time, and that’s after three delt movements, so for me, this is all new for me as well fatigue-wise,” Wesley Vissers said.
One-Arm Cable Front Raise
To maximize the stretch portion of the exercise, he said to execute the full range of motion.
“Go all the way down; the tension is maximized on the stretch portion, whereas with the front delt dumbbell raise, it was on the contraction portion, the maximum tension, and on the stretch the least.”
Reverse Fly
In his final offering, Vissers shared that including partial repetitions can be a great way to finish off the rear delts.
“After rear delts or pretty much any shoulder exercise, you can always do partials. You can make it more of a compound; it started out as an isolation with a nice arch motion, isolating the rear delts, and the biceps start to help on the last few reps.”
Vissers has teased a possible move to the Men’s Open category. As one of the taller competitors in Classic Physique, many believe his build would fit perfectly in a division without height and weight restrictions. While recently speaking with Jay Cutler, Vissers said, “For sure, it’s going to happen.”
Shoulders have never been a weak point for Vissers, but he wants to showcase major improvements onstage. The 2026 Mr. Olympia is set for September 24-27 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Fitness Volt will have live coverage.
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