Joe Baena calls his father, Arnold Schwarzenegger, his ‘best training partner’ as he launches his bodybuilding career
In the world of bodybuilding, legacies are often measured in muscle, discipline, and relentless repetition. But for Joe Baena, the journey is also deeply personal. Baena isn’t just stepping into bodybuilding for the sake of family legacy. For him, it’s way more personal. When you watch Joe and his dad, Arnold Schwarzenegger, train together, it’s not just about lifting weights. It’s a father pushing his son past what he thought was possible — both physically and mentally.Joe has dabbled in acting, but recently, he’s decided to take bodybuilding seriously. Arnold, of course, needs no introduction. And Joe’s pretty clear about what having his dad as a training partner means.In a recent interview, Joe just laid it out there: Arnold is the “best training partner.” Why? “He pushes me.” Those three words sum up a complicated, sometimes distant, but now much closer father-and-son relationship.
What Joe Baena reveals about his bond with Arnold Schwarzenegger
Joseph “Joe” Baena is a rising star in the bodybuilding world, and he’s finally spilling the secret key to success passed to him early on by none other than his dad, Arnold Schwarzenegger.Weeks after winning his first bodybuilding competition, where Baena earned three gold medals at the NPC Natural Colorado State Championships in March, the prodigy spoke to GQ about the role his dad, the ‘Terminator’ star, has played in his success.Joe actually credits Arnold with getting him interested in bodybuilding in the first place. Back in college, when Joe started caring about his health, Arnold handed him a copy of the bodybuilding encyclopedia he swears by.“My dad gave me the bodybuilding encyclopedia,” Baena said, “I was flipping through that, trying to learn how to grow the biceps, and I fell in love with weightlifting. I fell in love with eating healthy. I fell in love with learning about the body and how it reacts to training, and I became very passionate about it.”Arnold does more than hand out advice from the sidelines. He gets right in there beside Joe. They’ve trained together at the legendary Gold’s Gym in Venice Beach: father and son, grunting through reps in the same place that helped make Arnold a legend.“He’s the best training partner. I don’t know what to say,” Baena admitted without any hesitation.However, training with your famous dad isn’t always easy. Joe says Arnold simply doesn’t let him slack. When Joe’s running on empty (and low carbs), Arnold finds a way to keep him going. “He pushes me. He makes sure that I don’t slack off in the gym. When the carbs are low, and the calories are low, and I start getting tired, he pumps me up,” he shared.That kind of push clearly pays off: Joe recently took first place in several categories at the NPC Natural Colorado State competition, including Men’s Open Body Heavy Weight Class and Men’s Classic Physique Novice. On top of that, he snagged the INBA Iron Gladiator classic physique title too.
Joe Baena, Arnold Schwarzenegger and their complicated father-son relationship
Looking at Joe’s rise, it’s hard not to see the parallels with Arnold’s career. The man is considered one of the greatest bodybuilders, with seven-time Mr Olympia and five-time Mr Universe, before action movies and politics ever came calling. But Joe’s road hasn’t been straight. Back in high school, he remembers being “chubby” and getting cut from basketball and soccer because he couldn’t keep up. Luckily, the swim team didn’t require tryouts, and that’s where he found fitness.Moreover, Joe and Arnold’s relationship wasn’t always this solid. Joe grew up with his mom, Mildred Patricia Baena (Schwarzenegger’s former housekeeper), and only started building a closer relationship with Arnold in his teens, after a lot of very public drama when it came out who his dad was. So yeah, there’s some baggage there. Over the years, though, especially through fitness, they’ve really connected. They share discipline, interests, and goals. And even though Joe’s got a famous last name, he doesn’t use Schwarzenegger professionally as he wants to make it on his own.As for Arnold, his story is legendary for a reason. Born in Austria, started weight training as a kid, moved to America, conquered bodybuilding, Hollywood, and then politics. Through it all, his drive for self-improvement never faded. That’s the kind of mindset he’s tried to pass along to Joe.
