Arnold Schwarzenegger's youngest child, Joseph Baena, is creating his own legacy. After dominating his debut bodybuilding competition with multiple wins, speculation about a Mr. Olympia run is already swirling. Baena now has a direct answer for the fans.

After sweeping multiple victories at the 2026 NPC Natural Colorado State Championships, Baena has an answer for everyone wondering whether he will make his Mr. Olympia debut.

When a fan asked if he planned to compete in Mr. Olympia or stay natural, the 28-year-old gave a direct answer.

“Plan is to stay natural as of now. We’ll see what the future holds.”

For now, Baena is committed to growing as a natural division athlete. With a recent championship win and guidance from his father, Baena appears committed to his current path.

Baena made his debut on March 28 at the compound-free competition and dominated the stage by winning multiple titles:

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

On April 4, Baena announced another victory, winning the INBA Iron Gladiator Classic Physique Championship.

He had been preparing for these competitions for a long time and only announced it formally a week before, on March 15. Baena routinely shared his progress through training videos and different meals that he prepared for his diet.

The bodybuilding supernova, Arnold Schwarzenegger himself, stepped in to help his son secure the win. He guided Baena through training at Gold's Gym, Venice Beach, and even taught him a few things about posing.

But this isn't the first time Joseph Baena has been encouraged to make a move out of natural bodybuilding.

Joseph Baena’s Reason for Staying Natural and Refusing Compounds

The first time Schwarzenegger Jr. was asked such a question was two years ago, when he appeared on the Trensparent with Nyle Nayga podcast. And even then, he cleared his stance on his natural status, stating,

“I never took s******* because I never felt like I needed to. It just comes up because it would like, I want to see what would happen. A lot of people, that’s like half my comments. It’s like ‘could you just hop on the juice already, bro.'”

But since no one knows what the future holds, it's too soon to remark on what Joe Baena's future will look like. Keep checking in at Bodybuilding Bros to stay updated on his journey.

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Written by

Ruwa Javed

Edited by

Ashvinkumar Patil