Quick Facts
Biography
Helle Trevino (formerly Nielsen) (born July 9, 1975) is a Danish/American professional female bodybuilder. She is the 2017 Ms Rising Phoenix and the highest-ranked Dane on the International Federation of BodyBuilding & Fitness (IFBB) Pro Women's Bodybuilding Ranking List (as Helle Nielsen).
Early life and education
Helle Trevino (born Helle Nielsen) was born and raised in rural Sønderborg, Denmark. She grew up on a farm. She majored in English and German in college. After that she continued her way into the fitness industry where she took a number of exams within the nutrition & training field.
Bodybuilding career
Amateur
Trevino was a gymnast from the age of 3 and competed in various other sports, including ballroom dancing, swimming, track and field, shotput, martial arts, horse-riding, boxing, biking, ballet and yoga.. When Trevino was 17 she joined a gym and started training seven days a week. When she started she had weighed 128 lb (58 kg) and within a year of training she had added 29 lb (13 kg). She said on her Web site that she quickly realized she had great genetics for bodybuilding.
She later started competing. She attended the Danish Championships in Herning. At the age of 22 she won in the heavyweight and overall categories at the Danish Nationals in 1998, her first show. She also won the overall and heavyweight title at the Scandinavian Championships in the same year. In 1999 she competed at the World Championships in Australia.
Professional
2003-2010
Trevino became the first professional female bodybuilder from Denmark since Lisser Frost-Larsen, who had last competed in 1984. In her pro debut, she won the heavyweight and overall at the Jan Tana Classic. A few months later, she placed fifth in the heavyweights at the Ms. Olympia.
From 2011
After spending a few years building up her personal training business, Trevino in 2011 won the FIBO pro show and placed 11th at the 2011 Ms. Olympia. The following year she placed 12th in the Ms. Olympia competition, where. In 2012, she moved from Denmark to California, to train at the Gold's Gym in Venice.
Contest history
- 1998 Danish Championships - 1st (HW and Overall)
- 1998 Scandinavian Championships - 1st (HW and Overall)
- 1999 World Amateur Championships - 10st (HW)
- 2003 IFBB Jan Tana Classic - 1st (HW and Overall)
- 2003 IFBB Ms. Olympia - 5th (HW)
- 2011 IFBB FIBO Power Pro Germany - 1st
- 2011 IFBB Ms. Olympia - 14th
- 2012 IFBB Europa Battle of Champions Hartford - 9th
- 2012 IFBB Wings of Strength Chicago Pro-Am Extravaganza - 2nd
- 2012 IFBB Ms. Olympia - 12th
- 2013 IFBB PBW Tampa Pro - 5th
- 2014 IFBB Omaha Pro - 7th
- 2015 IFBB Wings of Strength Chicago Pro - 1st
- 2015 Rising Phoenix World Championships - 2nd
- 2016 Rising Phoenix World Championships – 4th
- 2017 Rising Phoenix World Championships – 1st
Personal life
As of 2014, Trevino lived in Los Angeles, California and worked as a personal trainer in Venice, California. She speaks Danish, English, and German. She worked as a caretaker of disabled people for 15 years. In 2008, she became the CEO & Founder of the company Team Evolution.