After winning his second bodybuilding competition, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s son Joseph Baena has demonstrated that he is following in his father's footsteps.

In the meantime, Baena has received praise from legends like Phil Heath, Jay Cutler, and Dexter Jackson on his Instagram victory posts. But now, the big question is whether the 28-year-old bodybuilder can reach his father’s level.

Let's dive into this.

Baena started his training a few years ago, but he achieved his first milestone at the end of March, when he placed 1st in multiple divisions at the NPC Natural Colorado State show.

He earned 3 gold medals in the show in the following categories:

• The Men’s Open Bodybuilding Heavyweight Class
• Men’s Classic Physique True Novice
• Men’s Classic Physique Novice

His momentum continued, and within a week, Baena started his Pro journey by winning the INBA Iron Gladiator Classic Physique title.

Talking about his father, the Austrian Oak won his first professional competition in 1965 and became the Junior Mr. Europe. However, at that time, Schwarzenegger was only 18 years old, nearly 10 years younger than Baena.

A major milestone for Schwarzenegger occurred in 1967 when he won the amateur Mr. Universe title. Then he moved to California, and after years of hard work, he won his first Mr. Olympia in 1970 at just 23 years old.

Apart from bodybuilding, Baena also acted in some movies like Gunner, Bully High, and Chariot, but he has not played any lead roles so far.

However, Schwarzenegger has his own legacy on the silver screen. Movies like Predator and Terminator still impress his fans.

It's true that Baena needs to accomplish much more to even be compared with his father, but Baena is the only son among his five children who has chosen professional bodybuilding as his goal. The legend himself has not only motivated him but has also continuously trained him and prepared him for his professional debut.

Arnold Schwarzenegger Trains Joseph Baena

Baena was 13 when he learned Schwarzenegger was his father. But after that, their connection started to get stronger.

Baena, who struggled in his childhood with being overweight, began to focus on his fitness, and Schwarzenegger’s gift of a copy of The Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding helped him develop more discipline.

Even Baena once said, “My dad is old-school. He doesn’t believe in handouts. He believes hard work pays off, and so do I. I love the word honor. And I’m very prideful in the sense that if I use my dad’s contacts or ask him for favors. I wonder what honor is that gonna bring me?”

On multiple occasions, the 7-time Mr. Olympia has been seen training his son.

For instance, on March 24, Baena posted a montage of photos on Instagram, captioning: “You have to shock the muscle!” In the post, he was seen being trained and guided by his father while exercising.

Apart from that, before Baena’s debut, Arnold was also seen helping his son with his posing.

So, Schwarzenegger Jr. is paving an impressive path with early success and discipline, but matching his father's legacy will require some time and an extraordinary, era-defining impact. Follow Bodybuilding Bros for more.

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Written by

Supradeep Dutta

Edited by

Ashvinkumar Patil