Joseph Baena is now a well-known bodybuilder, making his father, Arnold Schwarzenegger, proud. But his journey to the stage was a difficult one, marked by bullying and rejection over his weight during his school years.

Just like every superhero has a humble beginning, Joseph Baena also had to overcome some obstacles before earning his moment in the spotlight.

Everyone knows Joe Baena as a buff, natural bodybuilder who is making his dad proud with his recent achievements. But behind his chiseled physique and strength is a heartfelt backstory of Arnold Schwarzenegger's son struggling with weight issues and bullying.

In 2022, while promoting his movie Bully High, Baena opened up about his adolescent experiences in an interview with People magazine. He revealed that he was overweight from the end of elementary school into the beginning of high school, which made him a target at school.

"I was bullied when I was a kid, elementary, middle school, and not really in high school, but I just felt like an outsider in high school at the beginning."

The heartbreaking part was that he was being bullied by his closest friends. Due to the bullying, he struggled to find himself and, for the longest time, couldn't find the motivation to transform his body.

Last year, the 27-year-old shared a video of himself on Instagram in which he opened up about his difficult high school years. He explained his struggles in the caption and what helped him overcome them.

"People sometimes forget that I used to be chubby in high school. I got cut from my basketball and soccer teams because I couldn’t keep up with the other kids. Swim didn’t have tryouts, thankfully, and completely changed my life forever."

He credits his time on the swim team as his introduction to fitness. He started weightlifting in his junior year of college, and that's where he developed an interest in bodybuilding. In 2023, Arnie Jr. went on to complete his first triathlon, but a much bigger achievement was waiting for him.

Joseph Baena Makes a Stunning Bodybuilding Debut

On March 28, Joseph Baena made his blockbuster bodybuilding debut at the NPC Natural Colorado State Championships, where he went on to win three gold medals and a silver medal in the Classic Physique division.

• Men’s Open Bodybuilding Heavy Weight Class - Gold
• Men’s Classic Physique True Novice - Gold
• Men’s Classic Physique Novice - Gold
• Men’s Classic Physique Open Class C - Silver

He repeated the result at his second bodybuilding show, where he won the INBA Iron Gladiator Classic Physique Championship. Baena's victories are proof that with resilience and determination, anything can be achieved.

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Written by

Ruwa Javed

Edited by

Ashvinkumar Patil