Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Son Joseph Baena Continues Bodybuilding Winning Streak During Second Competition

Desiree AnelloSun, April 5, 2026 at 4:02 PM UTC

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Joseph Baena at INBA Iron Gladiator ClassicCredit: Joseph Baena/Instagram -

Arnold Schwarzenegger's son, Joseph Baena, was named the INBA Iron Gladiator classic physique champion on Saturday, April 4

Baena's victory comes one week after he won first place in multiple categories during his bodybuilding debut at the NPC Natural Colorado State competition

“This year was the year that I said, ‘Enough being afraid. Enough overthinking. It’s time to commit,’ ” said Baena of his first competitive bodybuilding season

Joseph Baena’s hard work is paying off!

On Saturday, April 4, the 28-year-old son of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Mildred Patricia Baena achieved a win in a second bodybuilding federation. He competed at the INBA's Iron Gladiator competition in California, having racked up multiple wins a week prior at the NPC Natural Colorado State competition.

He shared several photos on Instagram of himself onstage with a sword and shield after earning his pro card.

“Your new INBA Iron Gladiator Classic Physique Champion,” Baena captioned the snaps taken at the annual drug-tested competition.

Joseph Baena at INBA Iron Gladiator ClassicCredit: Joseph Baena/Instagram

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Ahead of the accomplishment, the bodybuilder revealed in an interview shared on Instagram that the INBA Iron Gladiator was only his “second show ever.”

“I’m really excited to be a part of the INBA and to experience this wonderful program,” he said. “My fitness journey, it’s been a long time.”

Baena did swimming when he was younger before getting into weightlifting during his junior year of college.

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“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,” he explained in the interview. “This year was the year that I said, ‘Enough being afraid. Enough overthinking. It’s time to commit.’ ”

Joseph Baena at INBA Iron Gladiator ClassicCredit: Joseph Baena/Instagram

Baena’s victory comes one week after he won first place in multiple divisions at the NPC Natural Colorado State competition — including the Men’s Open Body Heavy Weight Class, Men’s Classic Physique True Novice and Men’s Class Physique Novice.

“Mission Accomplished! 🥇,” he wrote on Instagram alongside several photos of himself flexing onstage during his bodybuilding debut.

In preparation for his first competitive bodybuilding season, Baena spent time training and receiving tips from his dad — who has been widely considered one of the greatest bodybuilders of all time — at Gold’s Gym in Venice Beach, Calif.

Joseph Baena and Arnold Schwarzenegger at Gold’s GymCredit: Joseph Baena/Instagram

While photos of their gym session showed Schwarzenegger, 78, coaching his son on how to pose for competitions, highlighting his chiseled physique, Baena admitted in a July Instagram post that he was actually quite “chubby” in high school.

“I got cut from my basketball and soccer team because I couldn’t keep up with the other kids,” the Gunner actor explained at the time. “Swim didn’t have tryouts, thankfully and completely changed my life forever. That was my introduction to Fitness and training.”

The athlete also told PEOPLE in 2022 that he used to be harassed by his classmates for his weight.

"It was my closest friends that were the ones that bullied me the most and made fun of me for being overweight and all these kind of things,” he said at the time. "So, that was really a big struggle for me in finding myself and figuring out and creating that ambition to change my weight and my physique.”

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”