Joseph Baena, the youngest son of Arnold Schwarzenegger, placed fifth in the Classic Physique Open at the INBA PNBA Pro/Am World Cup in El Segundo, California, on Saturday, November 7, in the first professional contest of his career. The 29-year-old announced the result on Instagram, posting video of his posing routine and, a day later, a sit-down clip reflecting on a first year of competition that began in March.
It was Joseph Baena’s debut with the Professional Natural Bodybuilding Association, the PNBA, and only his third show overall.
Joseph Baena Lands in the Top Five in Classic Physique Open
PEOPLE reported that Baena competed against a large field in the Classic Physique Open division at the INBA PNBA Pro/Am World Cup, as noted by The Times of India. He finished fifth.
In his Instagram video, Baena ran through the weekend and the organization that staged it.
“The Pro AM Natural World Cup is in the books. It was such a fantastic competition. The Organization, the INBA, PNBA, did such a great job with the contest, the competitors, everyone was just on it. It was so good. It was my Pro debut in the INBA PNBA, well, my PNBA debut, and it was for Classic Physique Open, and I placed in the top five.”
He described the placing as the target he had set before stepping onstage. “Fifth place medal. The goal was to actually place in the top five, so I achieved the goal that I sought out for. I know what I need to do to improve. I know what it takes to get better now. I think the size that I had, the shape that I had, was all there. There’s some things that I need to improve on, of course, everyone does,” he said in remarks reported by Fitness Volt.
Three Shows in One Season
Baena entered competition only this year. Fitness Volt reported that he opened the 2026 season with three gold medals and a silver at the NPC Natural Colorado State Championships, then took the Classic Physique title at the INBA Iron Gladiator Classic, a win that earned him his natural bodybuilding pro card.
He laid out that sequence himself in the Instagram video: “I’m extremely proud of myself. Well, this is my first year competing, my first show was the end of March, the second show was the week after, first weekend of April. Now, my third show, first as a Pro, was just today, November 7 and man, I came in looking so much better than last time. The way I feel I sized up next to the other Pros, I felt good. I think it was an incredible experience for my first show as a Pro.”
More coverage of the weekend and other results is collected on our news page.
Arms, Hamstrings and Glutes on the Off-Season List
Asked what comes next, Baena said the off-season will be spent adding to specific areas and, above all, tightening his conditioning relative to the rest of the professional field.
“This off-season, I think my arms, hamstrings, and glutes, are going to be the big things that I’m going to be working on. Other than that, the next time I compete, it’s down to a conditioning thing. All the other Pros just had a lot better conditioning than I had. Even though for me, this was the leanest I’ve ever been, and this is the best I’ve ever felt and I looked.”
Fitness Volt reported that Baena reached the top five without a coach, working instead with training partners. “Doing this without a coach, just training partners, of course, there’s guidance; like my father always says, there’s no such thing as a self-made man,” he said. “Looking forward to the next show.” More on training and nutrition is in our health section.
The Encyclopedia That Started It
Baena has credited his father with pointing him toward the weight room. Speaking to GQ in April, around his second career contest, he traced the beginning to a book.
“My dad gave me the bodybuilding encyclopedia. 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.”
In that interview he called Arnold Schwarzenegger the “best training partner” and confirmed the two frequently train together. Schwarzenegger has five children: Katherine, Christina, Patrick and Christopher with his ex-wife, Maria Shriver, and Baena, his youngest, from his relationship with Mildred Patricia Baena.
Joseph Baena and Questions About the IFBB Pro League
Fitness Volt reported that fans are curious whether Baena will eventually compete in the IFBB Pro League, the federation his father once dominated. For now, the outlet said, he is focused on improving during the off-season.
In the video marking the result, Baena thanked those who have supported him and said he was grateful and proud to have come this far, adding a shoutout to his father. His own summary of the weekend was blunt: “This was my pro debut in the INBA/PNBA—well, my PNBA debut—and it was for Classic Physique Open, and I placed in the top 5, so I’m extremely proud of myself.”
