Joseph Baena, son of bodybuilding legend Arnold Schwarzenegger, is picking up where his father left off. In a recent Instagram post (November 8, 2026), he discussed earning a top-five spot in Classic Physique in his Pro natural debut over the weekend.
“The Pro AM Natural World Cup is in the books. It was such a fantastic competition. The Organization, the INBA, PNBA, did such a great job with the contest, the competitors, everyone was just on it. It was so good. It was my Pro debut in the INBA PNBA, well, my PNBA debut, and it was for Classic Physique Open, and I placed in the top five.”
After years of teasing the idea, Joseph Baena finally made his foray into bodybuilding. In 2026, he started the season strong and claimed three gold medals along with a silver at the NPC Natural Colorado State Championships. After picking up momentum, Baena scored the Classic Physique title at the INBA Iron Gladiator Classic; this victory helped him clinch his natural bodybuilding Pro card.
With his latest outing a success, Baena opened up on what lies ahead. He explains below how he intends to use this off-season to make substantial improvements, especially to his arms, hamstrings, and glutes.
Joseph Baena Talks Bodybuilding Future After Taking Top 5 in Pro Natural Debut
On Instagram, Baena said he achieved the goal he was after:
“I’m extremely proud of myself. Well, this is my first year competing, my first show was the end of March, the second show was the week after, first weekend of April. Now, my third show, first as a Pro, was just today, November 7 and man, I came in looking so much better than last time. The way I feel I sized up next to the other Pros, I felt good. I think it was an incredible experience for my first show as a Pro.”
“Fifth place medal. The goal was to actually place in the top five, so I achieved the goal that I sought out for. I know what I need to do to improve. I know what it takes to get better now. I think the size that I had, the shape that I had, was all there. There’s some things that I need to improve on, of course, everyone does.”
During his off-season, Baena explained that his arms, hamstrings, and glutes will be the main focus. He believes future success will depend on sharper conditioning.
“This off-season, I think my arms, hamstrings, and glutes, are going to be the big things that I’m going to be working on. Other than that, the next time I compete, it’s down to a conditioning thing. All the other Pros just had a lot better conditioning than I had. Even though for me, this was the leanest I’ve ever been, and this is the best I’ve ever felt and I looked.”
He also shared that he managed this feat without a coach helping him:
“Doing this without a coach, just training partners, of course, there’s guidance; like my father always says, there’s no such thing as a self-made man,” he shared. “Looking forward to the next show.”
Having already found success onstage, fans are curious if Baena will ever try his hand in the IFBB Pro League, the federation his father once dominated. In the meantime, the rising 29-year-old star is focused on improving during the off-season.
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