Born to Flex: Arnold Schwarzenegger's Love Child Joseph Baena, 28, Shows Off Ripped Physique After First Bodybuilding Victory
Arnold Schwarzenegger's son Joseph Baena is seen for the first time since winning his debut bodybuilding competition.
March 30 2026, Published 2:09 p.m. ET
Joseph Baena wasted no time showing off the results of his latest win — stepping out shirtless in Santa Monica just days after dominating his first bodybuilding competition, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The 28-year-old flexed his sculpted frame during a casual post-victory stroll, proving he's fully stepping into his famous father's legacy.
Victory Lap Moment
Arnold Schwarzenegger's son Joseph Baena is seen for the first time since winning his debut bodybuilding competition.
Fresh off his debut win, Baena looked every bit the champion as he walked through Santa Monica wearing only black shorts and flip-flops, clutching his shirt while listening to music through wired ear buds.
The fitness enthusiast recently revealed he packed on 18 pounds of muscle in just eight weeks ahead of the NPC Natural Colorado State competition in Denver.
The event — which required both drug testing and polygraph exams — saw Baena take home first place in three categories, including open bodybuilding heavyweight and classic physique divisions, along with a second-place finish in another class.
"Thank you all for the sweet messages!" he shared on Instagram. "Time to do it again on Saturday!"
From Bullied to Built
Arnold Schwarzenegger's son Joseph Baena is seen for the first time since winning his debut bodybuilding competition.
Long before stepping on stage, Baena faced a very different reality growing up — one marked by insecurity and bullying.
"People sometimes forget that I used to be chubby in high school," he shared, per OK Magazine. "I got cut from my basketball and soccer team because I couldn't keep up with the other kids."
"Swim didn't have tryouts, thankfully, and completely changed my life forever," he added. "That was my introduction to fitness and training."
He later opened up about the emotional toll those years took on him.
"I was bullied when I was a kid, elementary, middle school, and not really in high school, but I just felt like an outsider in high school at the beginning," Baena told People in 2022. "I was really overweight from the end of elementary school into the beginning of high school."
"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 admitted. "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."
Following Arnold's Path
Arnold Schwarzenegger's son Joseph Baena is seen for the first time since winning his debut bodybuilding competition.
Arnold Schwarzenegger's son Joseph Baena is seen for the first time since winning his debut bodybuilding competition.
Baena's rise comes as his father, Arnold Schwarzenegger, continues to shape the sport globally. The bodybuilding legend spent the weekend in England hosting the 2026 Arnold Classic UK, where he presented a historic $1 million prize.
"We have come a long way from the days when I won a thousand dollars for winning Mr. Olympia and I am so proud of the sport," Schwarzenegger wrote in his Instagram post.
The seven-time Mr. Olympia has also played a hands-on role in his son's journey, training with him at Gold's Gym in Venice ahead of the competition.
No Handouts Mentality
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Arnold Schwarzenegger's son Joseph Baena is seen for the first time since winning his debut bodybuilding competition.
Despite the famous last name, Baena has been vocal about earning success on his own terms.
"My dad is old-school; he doesn't believe in handouts. He believes hard work pays off, and so do I," he previously told Men's Health in 2022.
Arnold Schwarzenegger's son Joseph Baena is seen for the first time since winning his debut bodybuilding competition.
"I love the word honor, and I'm very prideful in the sense that if I use my dad's contacts or ask him for favors, I wonder what honor is that gonna bring me?" he continued.
Baena, who grew up primarily with his mother, Mildred "Patty" Baena, has become the Schwarzenegger child most closely following in Arnold's bodybuilding footsteps.
