Joe Baena now reigns in the classic bodybuilding categories, continuing his father's legacy. However, fitness once used to be his sworn adversary.

Once speaking on the Trensparent with Nyle Nayga podcast in 2024, Baena had shared, "I was like the chubby kid in my friend group, and up until High School." While it might sound ridiculous today, the bodybuilder's struggle with his body was real.

Taking matters into his own hands, Schwarzenegger's son applied for the basketball team in his sophomore year in high school. Even before the warm-ups pivoted to the dribbles, he was already rejected.

"I couldn't keep up with anybody and so they cut me first day," Baena admitted.

His weight slowed him down considerably, while the cardio and running exercises emptied his gas tank.

Later, he had the same luck with soccer, with which he barely had any prior experience except for playing FIFA on Xbox. Sure enough, the first warm-up lap broke him down, and by the next round, he was grasping at straws to avoid the lap, like using an ankle-pain excuse for an escape.

"My passes were terrible, so I got cut right away, and I was like devastated," he gulped down the second rejection. However, despite the two heartwrenching letdowns, which would have sent most away, Baena refused to give up.

Joe Baena's journey to the weight racks

Arnold Schwarzenegger's son, who secured three golds in his first competition, began bodybuilding during his junior year of college. It wasn't the first sport he had tried, but it was the one that stuck.

Right after experiencing a string of disappointments in the world of invasion games, one of his friends on the swim team urged Baena to give the solo sport a try.

That instantly clicked the to-be bodybuilder, who had been swimming and surfing since he was five. The pool helped him lose the extra pounds, gaining confidence to step inside the gym.

“I started lifting weights and fell in love with bodybuilding, seeing the improvement, the muscle gain, the strength gain, and I fell in love with the sport, even watching," Baena shared right before conquering the Iron Gladiator stage in Corona, his sophomore competition.

Just a year into competitive bodybuilding, he has already earned his professional card, alongside an opportunity to compete in the Natural Olympia championship this year.

This rapid rise to the global stage, despite the multiple failures he faced, is an ode to his steadfast attitude and unwavering resilience. But does he have what it takes to win the Natural Olympia crown? Share your thoughts.

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Written by

Proma Chatterjee

Edited by

Suyashdeep Sason