Workout collaboration always attracts fitness enthusiasts and gym-goers. And when Mike O'Hearn, who has won the Fitness Model of the Year title 7 times, trains Joseph Baena, the son of Arnold Schwarzenegger, it becomes a story not to miss.

Joe Baena's love for bodybuilding has been inherited from his father, and he looks truly passionate about it. Recently, he has come into the spotlight by winning his first professional bodybuilding competition at the NPC Natural Colorado State Championships.

Within a week, on April 4, 2026, Baena earned his pro card by winning the Classic Physique division at the INBA Iron Gladiator competition.

That enthusiasm and eagerness to learn more always pushed Baena to learn not only from his father but also from other bodybuilding legends. One such learning session was recently shared with the bodybuilding world when O'Hearn posted on Instagram, helping Baena learn a Lou Ferrigno-inspired workout.

Talking about the session on the July 27 post, O'Hearn wrote, “Old school back training I learned straight from Lou Ferrigno while we trained together in the early 90’s, and now handing down to @joebaena so he can take his training to the next level.

This is one of those exercises that doesn’t just build your back; it teaches you how to use it. It forces you to slow down, control every inch of the movement, and develop a true mind-muscle connection instead of just moving weight from point A to point B.”

In the post, the two were performing Close-Grip Lat Pulldown, with O'Hearn teaching Baena how to do it. For instance, in one scene, he instructed Baena to hold the Christmas tree shape on his back without the machine.

This is not the first time Baena and O'Hearn have trained together.

On February 3, 2023, the O'Hearn YouTube channel shared a workout session with Baena. In that session, he helped Arnold's son train his shoulders.

The movements they practiced include:

• Seated Dumbbell Overhead Press
• Machine Overhead Press
• Machine Lateral Raise
• Lying Cable Inverted Grip Upright Row
• Lying Cable Front Raises
• Lying Cable Lateral Raises

Apart from these types of special collaborations, Baena also follows a 5-day workout routine.

How Baena structures his competition-prep split

According to Generation Iron, during his professional competition days, he focused on natural bodybuilding and used a 5-day workout split.

The workout includes:

• Monday: push, biceps, and cardio
• Tuesday: pull, triceps, and cardio
• Wednesday: legs
• Thursday: cardio
• Friday: upper-body and cardio
• Saturday: lower-body and cardio
• Sunday: rest.

Talking about cardio, he said, “I’m doing cardio about five days a week as well. Monday, Tuesday – I don’t do cardio on Wednesdays on leg day – then Thursday and Friday. On lower body day, I’ll just get my steps in”.

His cardio routine focuses on increasing energy use without unnecessary stress.

Baena said, “No running. It was all steady-state cardio. Walking on the treadmill for 30 to 40 minutes. I know some guys do an hour; I think that’s a bit much, especially if you’re doing this naturally”.

Do you think this is a solid workout?

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Written by

Supradeep Dutta

Edited by

Zaid Quraishi