Joseph Baena is ready to follow in his famous father’s footsteps as he heads into the bodybuilding world after years of teasing the move.
The novice bodybuilder will reportedly debut in an NPC competition this Saturday and has been training hard ahead of the event.
Joseph Baena has also had the support of Arnold Schwarzenegger throughout his preparation, as seen in recent posts shared on his social media.
The 28-Yr-Old Will Compete In The NPC Natural Colorado State Competition
Fans of Arnold Schwarzenegger from his bodybuilding days are set to relive that era as his son, Joseph Baena, prepares to step into the highlight.
After years of coaching within the shadows, the 28-year-old will make his debut within the bodybuilding world on the NPC Natural Colorado State competition scheduled for Saturday, March 28, 2026.
In line with TMZ, he would likely be competing within the novice division, provided that that is his first time participating within the event.
In the course of the competition, he can have as much as 60 seconds to finish the mandatory poses, including the front double biceps, front lat spread, and side chest.
If he places high, Baena will qualify for higher-level competitions, similar to the IFBB Pro Qualifiers, at a later date.
Joseph Baena Has Been Training Hard For The Body Constructing Competition
Ahead of the competition, Baena has been training hard to make sure he makes an impact on his debut and has often posted on his Instagram to point out off his routine.
One such example was a post from two days ago during which he shared videos of lateral raises, shoulder presses, incline presses, and several other other routines he tagged as a “full push day.”
He also gave the impression to be in high spirits ahead of the event, adding the caption, “Almost show time!”
More recently, he revealed that he has been eating what he described as a “ground beef plate” for the past couple of weeks to get lean while maintaining muscle.
In line with him, the meal takes about 15–20 minutes to organize and includes ingredients like chicken, rice, and quite a lot of vegetables and spices. The bodybuilding newbie also included a video of him preparing the meal from scratch.
Arnold Schwarzenegger Is Involved In His Son’s Training
As a proud father, Schwarzenegger has been hands-on throughout his son’s training for the competition, even appearing in posts shared by Baena.
His presence didn’t go unnoticed by fans, who took to the comments section of 1 post to praise the collaboration between the duo.
“Dude, Arnold Schwarzenegger is your dad, holy sh-t, you could have the God of private training at your fingertips,” a user remarked.
One wrote, “He’s so happy with you, Joe,” while one other commented, “ Like father, like son — each in incredible shape.”
“Bro being trained by the best bodybuilder ever and his dad,” a fourth netizen wrote.
“Love that photo, JB! It’s at all times special when pops is dropping knowledge from his own life experience,” another commented.
One other fan said, “What beautiful pictures @joebaena !! Historic ones! How beautiful to see your daddy watching you do what he loves a lot! The reflection of oneself! Super proud! Well done!”
Why Joseph Baena Doesn’t Flaunt His Father’s Name
Baena is Schwarzenegger’s son with Mildred Baena, who worked within the actor’s home through the late Nineteen Nineties.
Despite his father’s global fame, Baena has largely avoided leveraging the Schwarzenegger name to advance his profession, something he opened up about during a 2022 appearance on the “Unwaxed” podcast, hosted by Sofia Stallone and Sistine Stallone.
“I mean, I feel really the thing is that I just haven’t really focused on changing it [his surname]. I’m doing my very own thing. I haven’t really thought of it that much, like, ‘Oh, I would like to alter my last name.’ I even have a final name already,” he said on the time.
Joseph Baena Admits Arnold Schwarzenegger Influenced His Interest In ‘Acting’ And ‘Fitness’
Meanwhile, his status as an illegitimate child has not affected his relationship along with his father, and Baena has previously spoken about how much he looks as much as the veteran actor.
“I mean, my dad is a stallion. He’s a person’s man, I prefer to think, and I look as much as him so much,” he said during a chat with Loni Love and Morgan Stewart on E! Online.
Baena added, “So in a way, he’s influenced numerous things: the trail that I even have taken with acting, with fitness, and my physique, and the numerous other things that I’m doing.”