Joseph Baena said on October 24 that he is two weeks out from his next bodybuilding show, and in “a much better place” than he was two weeks before his last one.
Arnold Schwarzenegger‘s son, 29, posted the update with a 32-second posing clip on Instagram. He flexes in front of a mirror, and the caption gives the countdown:
“2 weeks till show day! Always more work to do but I’m feeling good and happy with where I’m at. Definitely at a much better place than 2 weeks before my last show! Crazy how much can change in a couple months.”
He hasn’t named the show or the division in his posts. On October 11 he wrote “4 weeks till show day!”, and both countdowns point to the weekend of November 7 and 8.
Joseph Baena’s first two shows, in March and April
His last show was in April. Baena debuted on March 28 at the 2026 NPC Natural Colorado State Championships in Denver. He won Men’s Open Bodybuilding Heavyweight, Classic Physique True Novice and Classic Physique Novice, and took second in Classic Physique Open Class C. Our report on his debut and three gold medals has the full story.
A week later he won the Classic Physique title at the INBA Iron Gladiator Classic, covered in our story on his second win.
How Baena got back to show prep
After the April win he took time off. On April 27 he wrote that he had spent “the last 3 weeks with no routine, no diet and a little Coachella fun,” then added: “Time to lock back in and get ready for the next show!”
He restarted with a leg day he called “quad focused” and posted the whole session:
- Adductor and abductor machines: 3 sets of 12
- Front squats: 3 sets of 8-10
- Leg press: 3 sets of 15-20
- Hip thrusts: 3 sets of 12-15
- Leg extensions and leg curls: 3 sets of 12-15
- Calf raises: 4 sets of 15+
The hip thrusts were there “for the booty (yes, men should train glutes),” he wrote.
By late May he was writing, “Can’t wait for the next competition.” On October 17, with the show a few weeks off, he shared a chicken and potatoes meal and compared it with rice: “I found that potatoes are a little more satiating and keep you full longer than just plain rice.”
