Arnold Schwarzenegger’s son has proved he’s a chip off the old block by landing himself fifth place at his professional natural bodybuilding debut.
Joseph Baena, 29, has followed in his famous dad Schwarzenegger’s footsteps and taken part in three competitions so far, including his pro debut at the INBA PNBA Pro/Am World Cup in California on Saturday 7 November.
Baena, who is one of the Hollywood star’s five kids, competed in the Classic Physique Open category and said his dream had been to place in the top five.
The actor, who only began competing in March this year, managed to achieve that goal and took to Instagram to say he felt ‘extremely proud’ of himself.
In a short clip shared on his Instagram account, he said: “That was such a fantastic competition.”
He went on to praise the event’s organisers and his fellow competitors for their hard-work.
Joseph Baena channelled his look-a-like dad on stage (Instagram/@joebaena)
“This was my pro debut in the INBA and PNBA, it was for Classic Physique Open, and I placed in the top five, so I am extremely proud of myself,” he continued.
Baena said that he took part in his very first show back in March, followed by another in April, before his first professional show at the weekend.
And he said that although he was only early into his bodybuilding career, he had already seen big improvements in a relatively short time.
“I came in looking so much better than last time and the way that I felt I sized up next to the other pros… I felt good,” he said.
“I think it was an incredible experience for my first show as a pro. Fifth place medal – the goal was actually to place top five so I achieved the goal I set out for.”
He also revealed that his success felt even sweeter as he did alone without a professional coach, but did thank the ‘people in my corner’, which included his girlfriend and his family.
But just because he achieved his goal does not mean that he’ll be resting on his laurels, with Baena already looking ahead to his next competition, where he plans to ‘improve’ on his most recent performance.
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s bodybuilding success has inspired his son Joseph (Jack Mitchell/Getty Images)
Baena has previously said that his dad – who was crowned Mr Universe five times and Mr Olympia a record-breaking seven times – is the perfect training partner.
Speaking to GQ back in April, Baena said he developed an interest in his health and exercise during his time at college and his dad helped fuel that passion by introducing him to weight lifting and bodybuilding.
“My dad gave me the bodybuilding encyclopedia,” Joseph told the outlet.
“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.”
When asked what it was like to train with the legendary star, he shared: “He’s the best training partner. I don’t know what to say.”
