Joseph Baena is set to follow in his famous father’s footsteps as he heads into the bodybuilding world after years of teasing the move.
The novice bodybuilder will reportedly debut in an NPC competition this Saturday and has been training hard ahead of the event.
Joseph Baena has also had the support of Arnold Schwarzenegger throughout his preparation, as seen in recent posts shared on his social media.
The 28-Year-Old Will Compete In The NPC Natural Colorado State Competition
Fans of Arnold Schwarzenegger from his bodybuilding days are set to relive that era as his son, Joseph Baena, prepares to step into the spotlight.
After years of training in the shadows, the 28-year-old will make his debut in the bodybuilding world at the NPC Natural Colorado State competition scheduled for Saturday, March 28, 2026.
According to TMZ, he would likely be competing in the novice division, given that this is his first time participating in the event.
During the competition, he will have up to 60 seconds to complete the mandatory poses, including the front double biceps, front lat spread, and side chest.
If he places high, Baena will qualify for higher-level competitions, such as the IFBB Pro Qualifiers, at a later date.
Joseph Baena Has Been Training Hard For The Body Building Competition
Ahead of the competition, Baena has been training hard to ensure he makes an impact on his debut and has often posted on his Instagram to show off his routine.
One such example was a post from two days ago in which he shared videos of lateral raises, shoulder presses, incline presses, and several other routines he tagged as a “full push day.”
He also appeared to be in high spirits ahead of the event, adding the caption, “Almost show time!”
More recently, he revealed that he has been eating what he described as a “ground beef plate” for the past couple of weeks to get lean while maintaining muscle.
According to him, the meal takes about 15–20 minutes to prepare and includes ingredients like chicken, rice, and a variety of vegetables and spices. The bodybuilding newbie also included a video of him preparing the meal from scratch.
Arnold Schwarzenegger Is Involved In His Son’s Training
As a proud father, Schwarzenegger has been hands-on throughout his son’s training for the competition, even appearing in posts shared by Baena.
His presence did not go unnoticed by fans, who took to the comments section of one post to praise the collaboration between the duo.
“Dude, Arnold Schwarzenegger is your dad, holy sh-t, you have the God of personal training at your fingertips,” a user remarked.
One wrote, “He is so proud of you, Joe,” while another commented, “ Like father, like son — both in incredible shape.”
“Bro being trained by the greatest bodybuilder ever and his dad,” a fourth netizen wrote.
“Love that photo, JB! It’s always special when pops is dropping knowledge from his own life experience,” one more commented.
Another fan said, “What beautiful pictures @joebaena !! Historic ones! How beautiful to see your daddy watching you do what he loves so much! The reflection of oneself! Super proud! Well done!”
Why Joseph Baena Doesn’t Flaunt His Father’s Name
Baena is Schwarzenegger’s son with Mildred Baena, who worked in the actor’s home during the late 1990s.
Despite his father’s global fame, Baena has largely avoided leveraging the Schwarzenegger name to advance his career, something he opened up about during a 2022 appearance on the “Unwaxed” podcast, hosted by Sofia Stallone and Sistine Stallone.
“I mean, I think really the thing is that I just haven’t really focused on changing it [his surname]. I’m doing my own thing. I haven’t really thought about it that much, like, ‘Oh, I need to change my last name.’ I have a last name already,” he said at the time.
Joseph Baena Admits Arnold Schwarzenegger Influenced His Interest In ‘Acting’ And ‘Fitness’
Meanwhile, his status as an illegitimate child has not affected his relationship with his father, and Baena has previously spoken about how much he looks up to the veteran actor.
“I mean, my dad is a stallion. He’s a man’s man, I like to think, and I look up to him a lot,” he said during a chat with Loni Love and Morgan Stewart on E! Online.
Baena added, “So in a way, he’s influenced a lot of things: the path that I have taken with acting, with fitness, and my physique, and the many other things that I’m doing.”