Joseph Baena reveals the bodybuilding secrets behind his ripped physique

April 16, 2026

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Joseph Baena has been going viral lately. The son of the one and only Arnold Schwarzenegger made headlines in recent weeks with his bodybuilding debut. Along the way, Joseph was sharing cooking videos, where not only were his gains visible, but also his undeniable star power.

Ahead of an important bodybuilding competition, Arnold Schwarzenegger helped train Joseph, a partnership that clearly paid off. — Joseph days before his first competition

Baena’s first competition was at the NPC Natural Colorado State competition, where he won first place in multiple divisions, including the Men’s Open Body Heavyweight Class, Men’s Classic Physique True Novice, and Men’s Classic Physique Novice. As the name suggests, the competitors are natural and free of performance-enhancing drugs. Then went on to win the INBA Iron Gladiator Classic Physique Champion.

In a world where men are “looksmaxxing,” steroids, and peptoids are accessible with the tap of a button, and there has been a reported increase in performance enhancers. Talking to GQ, Baena explained his decision to stay natural, “I’ve always said if your goal is not to become Mr. Olympia, I personally don’t see the point of taking steroids,” he told the outlet.

Baena said he lives a holistic lifestyle and chooses the most natural alternatives when it comes to things like medicine and prescriptions. “When it comes to steroids or performance enhancements, to me, I think there’s a lot more steps that you can take before that’s necessary,” he said, like eating better, resting, and recovering.

While he acknowledges some steroids, performance enhancers, or peptides can help people, he said, “I think you should at least try it naturally before you go straight to that.”

Baena admitted that it could be something that changes, saying if he wanted to “double down” and “step on stage at the Arnold Classic or the Mr. Olympia, then that might be a necessary route. But for now, I love the natural physique that I’ve created for myself.”

Did Arnold ever take steroids?

Joseph’s decision to stay natural can be thanks to Arnold’s advice. The former Governor has openly admitted he used to take them, and has urged bodybuilders not to. He said he was taking one hundred milligrams a week of testosterone.

Decades later, with how accessible it is, he warned, “Bodybuilding always, always was considered a safe sport. But now it’s not. Now people are dying — they’re dying because of overdoses of drugs, and they don’t know what the f— they’re doing.”

“Don’t go there,” he told Men’s Health. “Yes, we are at a time now where we always look for the easy way to make money, the fast way to get rich, the easy way to be an influencer. Anytime you abuse the body, you’re going to regret it. So I just want young people to know that I have seen people getting kidney transplants and suffering tremendously from it.”

Eat and work out like Joseph

Joseph Baena is becoming the internet’s favorite chef

As for the supplements he does take, he told the outlet, pre-workout, creatine, and protein. As for vitamins, he called vitamin C, vitamin D3, zinc, and fish oil his daily non-negotiables.

If you want to try out a workout schedule, he does a five-day split. Monday is push and biceps, followed by pull and triceps on Tuesday, with Wednesday dedicated entirely to legs. Thursday is a break from lifting, with cardio, before ramping back up to the upper body on Friday and the lower body on Saturday.

Sunday is the only full rest day. He does steady state cardio about five times a week, walking on the treadmill for 30-40 minutes on Monday and Tuesday. He skips it on leg day, then picks it back up on Thursday and Friday, and on Saturday, he’s making sure to get his steps in outside.