Baena placed first in three contests at the NPC Natural Colorado State Championships, including the Open Heavyweight Bodybuilding competition.

Joseph Baena, son of Arnold Schwarzenegger, wins first bodybuilding competition

Baena placed first in three contests at the NPC Natural Colorado State Championships, including the Open Heavyweight Bodybuilding competition.

By Ryan Coleman

Ryan Coleman

Ryan Coleman is a news writer for with previous work in MUBI Notebook, Slant, and the LA Review of Books.

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March 29, 2026 8:29 p.m. ET

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Arnold Schwarzenegger's son Joseph Baena on Instagram. Credit:

Joseph Baena/Instagram

Joseph Baena just made his dad proud.

Arnold Schwarzenegger's youngest son took home his first gold at a bodybuilding competition over the weekend. Correction: Baena took home *three *gold medals from the NPC Natural Colorado State Championships in Denver on Saturday.

The event marked Baena's bodybuilding debut, decades after Schwarzenegger's entrée into the same field eventually led to becoming one of the most sought after screen stars of the 1980s. Baena placed first in the Men's Open Bodybuilding Heavy Weight Class contest, as well as the Classic Physique True Novice and Classic Physique Novice contests. He also took home the silver medal in the Classic Physique Open Class C show.

"Mission Accomplished!" Beana wrote on Instagram on Saturday, adding a gold medal emoji in a post containing several photos of him smiling and flexing on stage. The day before, he shared that he was "tanned up and checked in! Ready for tomorrow's show" over several photos and videos of him gearing up for the big competition.

The official account for the Arnold Sports Festival, an annual competition for professional bodybuilders, strongmen, and fitness gurus christened after Schwarzenegger, shared a supportive message in the comments: "Let’s go! 💪 Best of luck Joe!"

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Baena was recently seen at the famed Gold's Gym in Venice, Calif. with his dad training for the competition. Schwarzenegger could be seen rooting Baena on as he repped heavy weights.

The 28-year-old is Schwarzenegger's son with Mildred Patricia "Patty" Baena, a former domestic employee of the *Terminator* star and his ex-wife, Maria Shriver. Baena was born five days after the birth of Schwarzenegger's youngest with Shriver, Christopher Schwarzenegger.

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Joseph Baena in June 2025.

Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

Both Patty Baena and the former California governor claimed not to know he was Baena's father until many years after his birth.

"I am going to have to live with it the rest of my life. People will remember my successes and they will also remember my failures. This is a major failure," Schwarzenegger said of the secrecy and scandal around Baena's birth in 2023, but called him a "fantastic man" who "makes me proud."

The two have since forged a close relationship, with Baena calling his dad "my studly training partner" in an affectionate social media post in 2021.

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