The 28-year-old showed off his sculpted 6ft 1in frame in black shorts, beige flip-flops, and slim gray sunglasses reminiscent of The Matrix, holding his black T-shirt while listening to music on his iPhone headphones during a mild 68°F spring day.
Baena recently revealed he gained 18lbs of muscle over eight weeks to prepare for the NPC Natural Colorado State competition in Denver, held last Saturday at the Pinnacle Performing Arts Center. Competitors underwent drug testing and 30-minute polygraph exams to confirm they were all-natural.
He impressively took first place in three men’s divisions — open bodybuilding heavyweight, classic physique true novice, and classic physique novice — and finished second in classic physique open class C.
“Thank you all for the sweet messages!” Baena wrote on his Instagram story, noting he was already planning his next competition. Hours later, he returned to the gym for leg presses with his trainer, though his upcoming contest has not yet been announced.
While Baena competed, his father, 78-year-old Arnold Schwarzenegger, was in Birmingham, England, hosting the 2026 Arnold Classic UK and awarding the $1 million prize to Nigerian champion Chinedu Obiekea Andrew, nicknamed “Jacked.”
Schwarzenegger reflected on the growth of bodybuilding, comparing the $1 million prize to his own Mr. Olympia winnings and expressing pride in the sport. Before the show, he also spent time training Baena at Gold’s Gym in Venice, Los Angeles.
“My dad is old-school; he doesn’t believe in handouts. He believes hard work pays off, and so do I,” Baena told Men’s Health in 2022. He added that he prefers to achieve things on his own, rather than rely on his father’s fame.
Of all Schwarzenegger’s children, Baena has most closely followed in his father’s footsteps, despite growing up primarily with his mother, Mildred “Patty” Baena, in Bakersfield, California. Joseph was revealed to be Arnold’s son in 2011, when he was 13, after Schwarzenegger admitted to a one-night affair with his former housekeeper, which ended the actor-politician’s 25-year marriage to journalist Maria Shriver.
Schwarzenegger and Baena eventually bonded over fitness, with Arnold gifting him a copy of The Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding, which he co-authored in 1985.
Baena, an avid cook, will celebrate his third anniversary on May 3 with his girlfriend, Dutch model Mel Randel.
