BD: Welcome to BikiniDivision!! What’s your full name, age, hometown, home gym and maybe a fun fact about yourself.
GW: my full name is Gwendolyne Wortmann, I live and was born in Germany and live and train in Hanover for 2 years now. A fun fact about myself is that I’m an equestrian for 20 years already, a lifetime vegetarian and vegan for 10 years.
BD: When and why did you get started weight training and competing? What was your first contest?
GW: In June 2018 I started weight training during my bachelor studies mainly to lose weight again (struggling with an eating disorder) but had many weeks of study breaks. In may 2020 I broke my ankle and together with Covid I wasn’t able to train for 10 months.
After losing weight again I decided to overcome my eating disorder and started proper eating and training in May 2021. I did my first competition prep in May 2022 and had my first bikini season in Autumn with the NRW Cup, Dennis James Classic and Musclecontest Austria.
BD: What do you love most about the Bikini Division?
GW: I love bikini for its presence, shining, and the muscular development that comes with hit. I really like the elegance and also the off-season look, especially in the glutes and shoulders.
BD: What are some things you would like to accomplish in the short and long term with regards to competing?
GW: Short term: I want to have a great off-season, where I focus on putting on a whole lot of quality muscle. This is necessary in order to go pro. My long-term goal would be to compete on the Olympia stage.
BD: What advice would you offer would be competitors interested in learning more about bikini and competing?
GW: I’d like to address every newbie not to get fooled by the amounts of PED’s (performance enhancing drugs) seen at the amateur level. You have to be patient. Do your work, work hard, and do everyday for years. You’ll get what you earn, but be patient. Also, be sure to love the process and the lifestyle. If you do – you’ve already won!
BD: Thank you so much for taking the time to do this feature. Hopefully we can do an IG Live down the road. In the meantime where can your friends and supporters go to learn more about you, as well as your sponsors?
GW: Absolutely. Friends and supporters can follow me on IG at @GwendolyneSheperd
