Joseph Baena, aka Joe Baena, is making a strong mark in the world of bodybuilding, carving out his own identity while drawing inspiration from his father, Arnold Schwarzenegger. After winning the 2026 INBA Iron Gladiator title, Baena told GQ that the seven-time Mr. Olympia remains his ultimate training partner.

Baena, the recently turned Pro bodybuilder who won the INBA Iron Gladiator Classic Physique championship on April 4, in an interview with GQ, hailed his father and opened up about the role the 7-time Mr. Olympia played in his bodybuilding journey.

On April 13, GQ shared an Instagram post featuring Baena's statements with the caption, “Joseph Baena possesses a classic bodybuilder’s physique. Baena, who only decided to seriously pursue bodybuilding this year, obviously had the help of… Arnold Schwarzenegger.”

“My dad is the best training partner. I don’t know what to say. He pushes me. He makes sure that I don’t slack off in the gym. When the carbs are low, and the calories are low, and I start getting tired, he pumps me up,” the 28-year-old bodybuilder told GQ when asked what it is like to train alongside his father.

For instance, on March 24, 4 days before his debut professional bodybuilding competition, Baena shared a montage of images on his Instagram account showing him pumping his muscles at the Gold’s Gym in Venice, Calif., under his father’s guidance.

"You have to shock the muscles!" Baena wrote in the caption, referencing one of his father’s philosophies of muscle growth.

This guidance is not limited to the gym or competition, because Schwarzenegger planted the seed of bodybuilding in Baena long ago.

Baena said, “My dad gave me the bodybuilding encyclopedia. I was flipping through that, trying to learn how to grow the biceps, and fell in love with weightlifting.

I fell in love with eating healthy, I fell in love with learning about the body and how it reacts to training, and I became very passionate about it.”

And that guidance is finally paying off. He won 3 gold medals at the NPC competition in Colorado, including:

• The Men’s Open Body Heavy Weight Class
• Men’s Classic Physique True Novice
• Men’s Classic Physique Novice

Within a week, he won another gold medal in the classic physique division at the 2026 INBA Iron Gladiator competition.

While Baena praised his father for motivating him, the young bodybuilder also discussed his experience on stage and offered a life suggestion to his fans.

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s son Joseph Baena on stepping on stage

During the interview with GQ, the young bodybuilder shared his experience of being on stage by saying, “To actually step on stage, it’s nerve-wracking. You’re putting yourself on stage to get judged by not only the judges, but the crowd. Of course, with the family ties that play into the sport, there’s a lot more room for judgment.”

Even after his appearance in the competitions, many fans compared him to his father and criticized him. Baena not only knows this but is also ready to face it.

Schwarzenegger Jr added, “That’s the thing with bodybuilding—your hard work, you wear it every day. It’s on you. You can see it. That’s part of the reason why I love it so much, you can see everything that you’re doing firsthand right in front of you.”

Talking about his life's philosophy and how he plans to build his physique, Baena admitted that he likes to live as holistically as possible. He also revealed that although he is not an organic person, he tries to avoid medications and prescriptions and said, “I like to go towards the natural alternative as much as possible.”

Finally, Baena, who avoids “fakes and frauds” in his wellness space, suggested to his fans to have fun. He said, “I just want to share, and I want people to have fun. That’s the main message that I want everyone to receive when it comes to health and fitness. There are ways of making it easy and fun, and it doesn’t have to be a grueling, miserable thing.”

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Written by

Supradeep Dutta

Edited by

Ashvinkumar Patil