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It\u2019s great to see Arnold\u2019s son, Joe, compete as a natural pro. What\u2019s 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\u2019s kept a very tight midsection with chiseled abs. The progress video that\u2019s gone viral is very unassuming. There\u2019s 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\u2019s more to this article than us talking about a rising star\u2019s prep for his pro debut.<\/p>\n
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\u2019t choose to go the chemically enhanced way, even though untested bodybuilding offers the most opportunities. There\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
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\u2019re still injecting synthetic, exogenous hormones. You\u2019re still eating way more food than even a natural bodybuilder eats. And you\u2019re 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\u2019s not just the gaining of the muscle, rather, it\u2019s 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\u2019t.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s not only unhappy with it, but he\u2019s very concerned about where the sport is going. Now sure, this isn\u2019t reserved just for 2026. The older guys, especially those who lived and competed during the Golden Era (1970\u2019s) and the celebrated era of the 80s don\u2019t like what the sport has become. The emphasis hasn\u2019t been aesthetics in a long time. It\u2019s all about size, more size, and even more size. Even the guys from the 90\u2019s (dominated by Yates) and the 2000\u2019s (dominated by Coleman) have sounded off. Their gripe isn\u2019t that the guys today are too big, rather, it\u2019s that they\u2019re not conditioned enough. This is why guys like Dorian have taken heat over the years. They don\u2019t think these guys suffer nearly enough to come in vascular and separated. Whether it\u2019s 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\u2019s made the decision for guys like Joe, a very easy one.<\/p>\n
Look at Joe\u2019s 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\u2019t 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\u2019re 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\u2019t a race to compete once you got the card. It was all about doing things right. Now I understand that when you\u2019re in untested bodybuilding you can hit the supplements harder and you can eat more food, but even with those advantages, it\u2019s 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\u2019s old school because of his father. And it\u2019s not just his father, but it\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
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