Arnold Schwarzenegger’s son Joseph Baena just scored a major win and officially made his mark in the bodybuilding world.
The 28-year-old revealed that he took first place in multiple categories at the NPC Natural Colorado State competition during his bodybuilding debut.
Baena said he won Men’s Open Body Heavy Weight Class, Men’s Classic Physique True Novice, and Men’s Classic Physique Novice, making it a huge first showing on stage.
He celebrated the moment on Instagram by posting photos of himself flexing during the competition and writing, “Mission Accomplished!”
The win is especially eye-catching because it comes just days after Baena trained with his father, Arnold Schwarzenegger, at the legendary Gold’s Gym in Venice Beach, California.
That is the same gym where Schwarzenegger built part of his own incredible legacy after coming to the United States in the 1960s. Arnold went on to become one of the most iconic bodybuilders ever, winning Mr. Olympia seven times and Mr. Universe five times before ending his competition career in 1980.
Now, it looks like his son is carving out a bodybuilding story of his own.
But Baena has made it clear this journey did not come easy.
In a post last year, he opened up about the fact that he was overweight as a kid and even got cut from his basketball and soccer teams because he could not keep up. He said swimming ended up changing his life and became his introduction to fitness and training.
Baena has also spoken about being bullied when he was younger, saying some of the people who mocked him most were actually close friends. He said those painful experiences became a major part of what pushed him to transform his body and work toward something bigger.
Now, after years of training, that hard work has paid off in a big way.