Quick Stats

Name: Daniel Wessels
Age: 25
Height: 6 ft 1
Competition weight: 88 Kgs
Current weight: 98 Kgs
Current city: Winnipeg, Canada, Manitoba
Occupation: Online Personal Trainer

Your whole ‘fitness’ journey somewhat started with swimming correct? Tell us a bit about the kind of dedication and training that was required in your swimming days:

Swimming is definitely where it all began for me.

I swam for South Africa at the age of 17 in 2 World Cups and was in the 2012 Olympic Squad training for the 2012 Olympics from 2007 onwards.

Every day and nearly every weekend was dedicated to swimming. Spending 2-4 hours in the pool and swimming 5-12 km’s a day. It was really intense but it definitely prepared me for my fitness career journey.

It is a very lonely sport and takes a lot of mental will power and dedication.

What made you go from that to modelling and fitness modelling?

I found myself enjoying time in the gym more than in the pool. I would miss training because I was hitting the weights every day and my coach started getting frustrated with me.

But my love for training in the gym started taking over and I began to wonder if I could take it further than just being a gym bunny.

How long have you been training seriously for and what do you love about it?

I’ve been training seriously from about 20 years old. So only 5 years now. But I have been seriously dedicated and I haven’t missed a training session except for when I have been sick or had my appendix taken out.

I train 6 times a week generally and during competition prep a lot of days are double sessions. I love the lifestyle.

Competing is just a chance to show what I have been working on. But the love for training and pushing my mind and body every day is what keeps me coming back for more.

It’s also a great way to relieve stress and just get your mind focused.

How did thE0rEParatGNairz}qsurqu i|le{3ohpetition go?

My first competition prep was really good actually.

I placed 2nd in the Fitness Model line-up in Fitness South Africa which was affiliated with MuscleMania.

I then competed in MuscleMania World Champs and placed 9th overall. It was the first time and only time since then that I used a coach but it was definitely needed because at that stage I had no idea what I was doing.

After I studied and spent most of my time learning and researching and gaining knowledge from my experiences, I took over my preparation and have been doing it all on my own since.

Which is also why I love to help and share my knowledge with other people wanting to compete or get into shape.

Out of all the competitions that you have competed in, which was the toughest in terms of competition and preparation?

I’d say last year at the 2014 WBFF World Champs.

Being only 25 I compete against guys that are 29+ and have been doing this for a long time.

So in order to really get up there in the ranks I had to push myself and be really dedicated.

I feel really blessed to be able to stand with such great athletes.

What are your future plans?

I am currently working on moving to Canada and starting a life here. I’m working on setting my website up which should be done very soon.

Building my brand as an athlete and getting my YouTube channel up and running as well as going back to studying something in the medical field.

What philosophy do you live by and believe in to succeed?

“It’s better to try something and fail than to try nothing and succeed.”

Take us through an average day of yours:

• Fasted cardio as I wake up in the morning.
• Quick shower, make breakfast and prep my meals for the day.
• Sit down for a few hours and respond to clients and emails. It’s quite intense keeping in touch with people from all across the globe.

I don’t sleep much during the week.

• After all my mails and admin are done I head to the gym around 4 – 6 PM depending on what day it is. Head to the studio to train some clients.
• After that I head to the store for groceries or home.
• My evenings are spent like my mornings replying and responding to clients. Changing plans and prepping them for shows. Getting all my meals in I generally go to bed around 12 -3 AM.

Give us a brief description of your philosophy on your diet:

I’m always in shape and that’s because it’s a lifestyle. I believe in a 4-5 clean meal structure during my off season with 1 meal being whatever I want. So 6 meals in total.

During prep for competitions I go really hard and strict and have my reefed days every 4 – 5 days or so.

Stay within your recommended calorie intakes and macros for a day and you’ll be on track. Don’t change a lot of stuff around and keep it consistent.

I like habit and I feel my body does too.

I love eating the same thing every day to be honest. It works for me and I feel good.

What are your top nutrition tips to leaning down?

• Keep your training at a HIGH intensity making sure your rest periods are between 30 – 45 seconds.
• Superset as much as you can and build up a good sweat by keeping your heart rate elevated.
• This prevents you having to do cardio every single day and staying lean.

What do you normally eat before training? What’s the ideal foods to take in before and after training in your opinion?

Depending on how long before training you eat, I’d say my favourite pre workout meal is 300 grams white basmati rice with 200 grams fish, turkey or chicken.

After training would be a hydrolyzed or iso whey shake. And 30 minutes after that I have my meal which at the moment is 1 box of Kraft Dinner which is 1000 calories + my protein source which is either ground beef or chicken.

Ideally though during comp prep I would take in 300 grams white basmati rice or baked potato and 200 grams white fish for best results.

Spiking your insulin after training helps flush all those juicy nutrients to your muscle cells and really helps activate growth, replenish glycogen and improve your recovery rate.

Would you recommend supplements to someone starting out in the gym? Which ones specifically?

I’d say:

• A good pre-workout
• Whey protein shake
• Intra BCAA or Creatine drink during training

would be your best options when starting out.

Give us a brief description of your philosophy on your training and on average how long do you workout for?

I train FST-7 style of training. Exactly like Phil Heath trains with his coach Hany Rambod. I train really quickly but I also do high volume training with a lot of supersets.

So I basically never stop working out from the moment I start. I usually train for no longer than an hour and 15 minutes on a long day like legs.

• I do 4 sets with 8-12 reps depending on the exercise and muscle group making sure I am lifting as heavy as I can with perfect form.
• I then end off my session with a 7 set exercise of about 10-15 reps and maximize blood pump into the muscle before I end my workout.

This allows my fascia around my muscle to stretch and give my muscle more room to grow in a sense as well as flush all the nutrients in my blood to my muscle being worked out.

What are your top chest training tips and exercises?

Bench press is king and incline is usually what I focus on. Building your chest fullness from the top down is what I believe in.

Everyone wants a thick upper chest. Do 3 press exercises – Flat, Incline and another incline and then 2 fly exercises.

Alternatively you can superset them which gives you an incredible pump and you can really feel all your muscle fibres working.

What are your three favourite exercises and why?

• Seated Hamstring Curls

Because hanging hammies are the holy grail and not everyone loves to train them hard. I love the focus needed for the exercises and the pain that comes with it.

• Shoulder press

These really make me feel like a beast in the gym and I love going heavy and feeling that fullness in my upper body.

•  Push ups and pull- ups

To be honest pushups and pull- ups are my favorite exercises to do still.

I feel the pump and contractions on both work really well. Also a really good exercise to add in when super-setting or using it as a filler exercise to keep your heart rate up.

What other forms of exercise do you enjoy?

I love swimming still as my cardio and just to stretch out my muscles. I love deep tissue massages to help with oxygen flow to my muscles and to release any tension or knots I have picked up during training.

Favorite Influential bodybuilders/fitness models:

Wittemberg Stanley Adolf, Arnold (obviously), Jay Cutler, Phil Heath, Dexter Jackson, Tom Platz, Kai Greene, Flex Lewis.

Favorite Female fitness inspirations:

Michelle Lewin, Sue Lasmar, Andrea Brazier.

Favorite Quote:

“What you are tomorrow depends on what you do today.”

What’s the most common question you get asked?

“Hey man, how can I look like that?”

• “Patience and consistency.”

Advice for someone wanting to add quality muscle without gaining fat?

Make sure you are eating enough protein and getting all your macros in and kick ass in the gym. Keep it high intensity and train your ass off!

What competitions have you competed in and your placings?

FITNESS MODELING

• BETANCOURT Nutrition | International Sponsored Fitness Model Athlete
• BETANCOURT Nutrition | Sponsored Fitness Athlete SA

2014

• WBFF WORLD CHAMPS (Las Vegas) | Fitness Model Division | 4th in the World | Ranked 1st in South Africa

2013

• WBFF WORLD CHAMPS (Las Vegas) | Fitness Model Division | 9th in the World
• WBFF SOUTH AFRICA | 1st
• Fitness Model in South Africa. Obtained WBFF Pro Status

2012

• MR FITNESS SOUTH AFRICA | U80 Physique line-up | 5th
• BODY BEAUTIFUL | Model | 5th

2011

•  Mr Fitness South Africa in Cape Town September | Model Division | 2nd
• FITNESS AMERICA WORLD MODELLING CHAMPIONSHIPS | 16th overall and 9th in body round

Where can people get hold of you?

• Email: danielwesselsfitness[at]icloud.com (for all info on training plans, eating plans, coaching and contest prep)
• Facebook: Daniel Wessels WBFF Pro
• Twitter: daniel_wessels
• Instagram: Danielwesselswbffpro