Arnold Schwarzenegger's son, Joseph Baena, has shown he has what it takes to follow in his father's footsteps in bodybuilding, and now he is ready to put his years of training to the test with his debut in the sport.

On March 15, the youngest son of 'The Austrian Oak' shared an Instagram post announcing that he would now take his father's legacy forward. In the post, the 28-year-old bodybuilder can be seen performing some iconic bodybuilding poses. He captioned the video, “Stage debut loading…”

Although Baena did not specify the bodybuilding event where he would make his debut, the post went viral, garnering more than 7,000 likes and hundreds of comments.

While his announcement made some noise in the bodybuilding world, the path he has taken so far has not been easy. On July 18, 2025, Arnold’s son shared a heartfelt post on Instagram revealing the issues he faced during his high school years.

He admitted that because of his weight, he “got cut from the basketball and soccer teams" because he "couldn’t keep up with the other kids.”

Later, he revealed, “Swim didn’t have tryouts, thankfully, and completely changed my life forever”. And according to him, swimming was the activity that introduced him to fitness and training.

And now that he has announced that he will take to the stage to compete, fans are significantly excited.

How Did Fans React to Joseph Baena’s Announcement?

While many expressed their take on Baena's announcement, his Instagram post also had fans appreciating his physique. One of them stated, “Blessed with Conan genes”.

Another one highlighted the similarities between Baena and Schwarzenegger's appearances, mentioning, "Like father, like son." One more expressed similar thoughts. "Bro was blessed with Arnold’s genetics, specially his chest," the fan opined.

A third fan had the same thing to say, but he displayed his belief in Baena's decision to compete. He mentioned, "Bruh, Arnold's genes on full display. It's like Arnold 2.0. I'm sure he'll do great with whatever he sets his mind to."

It's apparent that Baena has achieved the basic requirement of bodybuilding competition: fitness and shape. But the load of expectations will also be on his shoulders once he steps into competitive bodybuilding, given his father's stature.

So, while fans are hyped about Baena's debut, do you think he will be able to live up to the expectations that they have?

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Written by

Supradeep Dutta

Edited by

Souvik Roy