It’s great to see Arnold’s son, Joe, compete as a natural pro. What’s cool to note is that after just one year as a natural pro, Joe has made significant improvements. I particularly like the fact he brought up his wheels, particularly the quads. I also really like that he’s kept a very tight midsection with chiseled abs. The progress video that’s gone viral is very unassuming. There’s no goon lighting or weird production gadgets at play. The young star is simply posing in the gym, using his cell phone, and looks very impressive. You can also really appreciate the role genetics play. Not only does Joe look more and more like his father, but his physique is very complimentary of dear ole dad. But there’s more to this article than us talking about a rising star’s prep for his pro debut.
I think the fact that Baena chose natural bodybuilding shows us a distinct break from other legacies (e.g. Sergio Oliva Jr. and Hunter Labrada). Joe didn’t choose to go the chemically enhanced way, even though untested bodybuilding offers the most opportunities. There’s more money, more fans, more exposure. For anyone to want to embark on a bodybuilding journey, naturally, speaks to their love of the sport and their commitment to ensuring that their health is always the #1 priority. Am I suggesting that untested bodybuilding is somehow less healthy than its natural counterpart? You bet I am! Let there be no confusion when it comes to that.
Now, of course, you could do untested physique-based sports and watch your blood pressure, get regular bloodwork, and avoid getting injured, but all that being the case, you’re still injecting synthetic, exogenous hormones. You’re still eating way more food than even a natural bodybuilder eats. And you’re still taking a whole host of other compounds that although may not be hormonal, are making your body gain tremendous amounts of muscle. And it’s not just the gaining of the muscle, rather, it’s the carrying that muscle around. All that strains the body. To believe otherwise is incredibly naive. I think that Joe started his journey as a natty speaks volumes. I think his decision to compete as a natural pro speaks to the point of health and longevity. Do I see Baena ever taking the plunge? I don’t.
Just look at what 8x Mr. Olympia Lee Haney has to say about the victory of Nick Walker at the recent 2026 Mr. Olympia. He’s not only unhappy with it, but he’s very concerned about where the sport is going. Now sure, this isn’t reserved just for 2026. The older guys, especially those who lived and competed during the Golden Era (1970’s) and the celebrated era of the 80s don’t like what the sport has become. The emphasis hasn’t been aesthetics in a long time. It’s all about size, more size, and even more size. Even the guys from the 90’s (dominated by Yates) and the 2000’s (dominated by Coleman) have sounded off. Their gripe isn’t that the guys today are too big, rather, it’s that they’re not conditioned enough. This is why guys like Dorian have taken heat over the years. They don’t think these guys suffer nearly enough to come in vascular and separated. Whether it’s Haney or Yates, both guys make solid points for the circus act that modern day pro bodybuilding has become. The issue is so obvious that it’s made the decision for guys like Joe, a very easy one.
Look at Joe’s physique. he has the lines, he has the symmetry, and he has the flow. He has good round delts, separation in the pectorals, and a great back. He brought up his legs which was something that was a little bit of an issue and he did it naturally. He didn’t do it in 6 weeks or in 3 months. He was able to do it over the course of a year. The fact is that is a very old school approach. So many guys today earn their pro card and they’re just itching to make a pro debut. Some guys will win their pro card and make their pro debut all in the same weekend. There are shows that facilitate that very stupid decision. But the real the matter is that it used to be that once you earned your pro card, you took at least a year, sometimes two years, to grow into that pro physique. There wasn’t a race to compete once you got the card. It was all about doing things right. Now I understand that when you’re in untested bodybuilding you can hit the supplements harder and you can eat more food, but even with those advantages, it’s still not a good idea to compete right out of the amateurs. And this is something that I think speaks to the fact that Joe is an old school guy. He may be young in terms of years and age, but he’s old school because of his father. And it’s not just his father, but it’s the guys around his father from that era. When I see Joe, I see a competitor that is very much in line with the way the sport used to be. And I think the fact that he has decided not only to start his journey as a natural, but stay as a natural says a lot.
Why would Joe want to get on the sauce? Why would he want to gain 40, or 50, or 60lbs of size? What would that do to the beautiful physique before our eyes today? What would the advantage be? To win $10,000 at some tiny show or to potentially qualify for an Olympia that he couldn’t win unless he took a boatload of gear? What would be the advantage? Why would he put himself through that? When you look at Joe today, you see a healthy young man that can compete in pretty much any sport. You see an individual that has built a physique that would allow him to compete on the silver screen or do commercials or simply just be somebody that could be looked upon favorably by the mainstream public. I understand that bodybuilders don’t necessarily have to fit the box of everyday people but there is something to be said about looking normal. Baena does not look like somebody that has never lifted a weight in his life, but nobody is saying that a natural athlete should look that way. The problem is that bodybuilding has become so obsessed and so dependent on drugs that when you see a natural competitor the next question is always when are they going to take the plunge? When are they really going to put their money where their mouth is? But natural competitors are putting their money where their mouth is. They’re not taking the drugs, they’re not relying on the compounds, instead they’re working hard to train sensibly, eat clean, and see improvements made over time.
I think the fact that Joe continues to compete as a natural suggests that he’s never going to take the “the plunge.” There is no reason for him to take that very drastic decision. Not to mention the fact that he is the son of the most popular bodybuilder in the world and that he will be able to make a very good living doing whatever he chooses to do. Bodybuilding is not the only vehicle for this young man to see success. It isn’t the only vehicle for top bodybuilders, either. But once you’re in that mindset it’s very difficult to get out of it. These guys unfortunately are so into chasing size that they can’t see the forest for the trees. They are obsessed with just being gargantuan and freaky. They forget what bodybuilding was always all about. Instead of presenting a physique that inspires good health, they put out physiques that inspire horror from the mainstream public. That’s not a good look. Unfortunately, with Nick Walker on top, it may be the only look that gets you the attention necessary to be the best. That attention isn’t any attention that Joe is chasing.
I think natural bodybuilders will become the leaders in physique-based sports that help bodybuilding become more mainstream. It isn’t going to be a Nick Walker, it isn’t going to be even a guy like Samson Dauda, who admittedly weighed 310lbs on the Olympia stage. Those goals are not attainable by everyday people. Nor do everyday people want to look like these guys. But when you look at Joe’s physique and what he’s been able to do and maybe what he will be able to do over the course of the next year, two years, or 3 years, it really starts to look like something that every day people would want. Whether a high school athlete, or an NCAA athlete, or a father in his 30s or 40s. really the sky’s the limit because it’s a physique that looks good, that looks attainable through a lot of hard work and self-sacrifice, and one that is not going to compromise the person’s health. If you were to put Joseph next to Nick Walker I think a lot of people would prefer to look like Joseph than The Mutant. Most people do not want to look like somebody with a nickname like The Mutant. They want to look good, they want to feel good, and they want to be healthy.
So again, this article is about a lot more than Joe prepping for his pro debut as a natural competitor. This article speaks to the very real importance of promoting bodybuilding as a means to improving your health, not compromising it.
As always, I hope you enjoyed reading my article – here at IronMag. What do you think the future holds for Joe? Please be sure to post your reactions in the comments. And as always, don’t forget to copy and paste a link to this article on all your social media feeds. It’s bound to generate lively conversation.
Author Bio:
Christian I. Duque is the owner of StrengthAddicts.com, a physique and strength website founded in 2008. He has worked for a number of bodybuilding websites, including RX Muscle and Muscular Development. Christian has written nearly 1,000 published articles for IronMag Blog, as well as articles for StrengthAddicts, RX Muscle, and others. By day, he is also a licensed attorney practicing in the areas of family law, immigration, and criminal defense.
