Anja Langer

I have been involved in the sport of bodybuilding for almost 30 years. As an amateur my achievements include the 1985 Junior World champion and both the German and European champion for 1986. In 1987, I placed second at the IFBB Pro World Championship and fourth at the Ms. Olympia, and in 1988, I won runner-up Ms. Olympia. Today, you can still find blogs on the internet in which bodybuilding fans, who watched the competition, argue that the comparison between Cory Everson and me was so close that first and second place for that Ms. O. title could have easily gone the other way. At that time, I was only 23 years old and had planned to return for another try in 1990, but motherhood brought about a change of plans; my first son Elija was born in 1991. Then, in 1992, together with Bill Reynolds, who had co-authored books with Joe Weider and Arnold Schwarzenegger, I authored the book "Body Flex & Body Magic"; it is still considered one of the classics on weigth training, exercise and nutrition. In 93 and 94, I returned to the stage of bodybuilding as a guest poser at major competitions, and from 95 to 98, I owned and ran a gym in Stuttgart, Germany. In 2000, I returned to the public scene as a female bodybuilding spokesperson and professional fitness model. I started to reappear in magazines and calendars, but again motherhood took priority. In 2001, my second son Lionel was born. However, since 2000, I have periodically appeared in MUSCLE & FITNESS, FLEX, MUSCLE MAG INTERNATIONAL and OXYGEN. Last year, you could find me, along with Marjo Selin, another famous female bodybuilder and good friend of mine, in a full-length article in the November issue of OXYGEN. This year, I appeared in the February issue of the German MUSCLE & FITNESS, as well as the September issue of FLEX. In 2009, I was also inducted as the first female into the German Bodybuilder Hall of Fame. To date, I still am Germany's most successful female bodybuilder. You can find more information and photos of me on my website at www.anjalanger.com