When you have inherited genetics from one of many biggest bodybuilders to have ever lived, you may as properly reap the benefits of them, proper? Joseph Baena, son of Arnold Schwarzenegger, definitely is.
The 28-year-old is following in his father’s footsteps and competing in his first bodybuilding competitors on Saturday, 5 April, on the NPC Natural Colorado State championships. In preparation for his stage debut, Baena has been coaching alongside Schwarzenegger within the gymnasium. He captioned one photo of him curling a 70-pound EZ bar, during which Arnold stood within the background, writing, ‘You need to shock the muscular tissues,’ as implied recommendation from his dad.
Baena, who can be an actor, first began coaching in his teenagers after Schwarzenegger gave him a duplicate of The Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding (which he coauthored). He’s remained pure in his pursuit of constructing as a lot muscle as attainable, preferring as a substitute to place in intense effort by way of isolation moves for round two hours a day, six days every week.
‘One of the massive issues I discovered from Dad was to not have the ten-rep mentality,’ Baena informed MH. ‘It’s pushing your self to the boundaries and going that further mile, getting these further reps and half-reps until you’re principally dying.’
That mentality is evident from a nine-move push day workout he not too long ago shared on Instagram. Focusing on his chest and shoulders, Baena even finds time so as to add in a few bicep workout routines to essentially intensify his physique as he trains on the legendary Gold’s Gym.
The Workout
How to Do the Movements
Lateral Raise
Grab a few dumbbells and stand with them by your sides, along with your palms dealing with your physique and a slight bend on the elbows. Stand tall, pull your navel to your backbone to have interaction your core and pull your shoulder blades again and down.
Keeping your again straight, and your higher physique nonetheless – meaning no swinging – raise the dumbbells out to your aspect, maintaining the weights greater than your elbows. Lift till your arms are parallel to the ground, then slowly decrease to the beginning place.
Shoulder Press
Stand with ft hip-width aside, glutes frivolously engaged, ribs stacked. Bring the bar or dumbbells to shoulder peak with forearms vertical. Think: elbows barely ahead, knuckles to the ceiling. Lock the ribcage over the pelvis – don’t let your decrease again arch.
Move your head barely again to clear the bar, then return to impartial as the load passes your face. Fully lengthen your arms overhead, with biceps near ears, shoulder blades rotated upward. Think: develop tall on the prime. Bring the load again to the shoulders with out collapsing posture.
Rear Delt Fly
Sit on the sting of a bench holding a dumbbell in every hand at your sides. Lean ahead so far as attainable till your chest is touching your thighs. Without shifting your torso, increase the dumbbells up and away out of your physique in a hard and fast arc, maintaining a slight bend in your elbows. Squeeze your shoulder blades collectively on the prime of every rep earlier than slowly decreasing the dumbbells again right down to a grasp and repeating.
Chest Supported Y Raise
Lay face-first on a bench set to an incline along with your arms hanging at full stretch, holding a dumbbell in every hand. Without shifting your torso, increase the dumbbells up and away from you, so that you’re making a Y-position on the prime. Squeeze your shoulder blades collectively on the prime of every rep earlier than slowly decreasing the dumbbells again right down to a grasp and repeating.
Incline Press
Begin with the bench set at a 30°-45° incline. The greater the top of that vary, the extra you’ll goal your higher pecs and shoulders. Sit on the finish of the bench with the dumbbells in your knees. Lean again on the bench and raise the dumbbells over the chest by alternately kicking your knees up that will help you. Have your ft planted on the ground, core engaged and arms locked out with the dumbbells instantly above the higher chest.
Slowly decrease the elbows into an arrow form just under your shoulders so that you just get a giant stretch throughout the chest. Keep the dumbbells an equal distance all the rep and do not allow them to transfer additional aside. Pause for a second earlier than pushing the weights explosively away from you, again to your beginning place as you exhale, able to repeat.
Dumbbell Bench Press
Lie again on a flat bench holding two dumbbells above you with a shoulder-width, overhand grip.Drive your ft into the ground to contract your quads and glutes, and clamp again your shoulder blades to shorten the load’s path of journey. This will increase neural drive to your chest, delts and triceps. From the beginning place, breathe in and decrease the bells slowly till they skim your chest. Focus your thoughts on activating your chest muscular tissues and push the load again to the beginning place explosively as you breathe out. That’s one rep.
Cable Fly
Attach stirrup handles to the excessive pulleys of a cable crossover machine. Take one in every hand – your arms ought to be outstretched with a slight bend on the elbow. Place one foot barely ahead, brace you core, and pull the handles barely downward and throughout your physique till your palms meet, then return to the beginning place.
EZ Bar Curl
Hold an EZ bar with a shoulder-width grip and your arms prolonged. Lift it as much as your shoulders with out shifting your elbows. Lower till your arms are totally prolonged, then repeat.
Lying Bicep Curl
Lie on the ground, or on a flat or barely inclined bench with a low-pulley cable deal with at your ft. Grab the handles, letting your arms lengthen totally, whereas maintaining your higher arms tight to your aspect and feeling for a deep stretch within the biceps.
Curl by flexing on the elbow solely, maintaining your higher arms and shoulders pinned in place. Pause and squeeze onerous on the prime, then decrease beneath gradual management, again to a full stretch. Repeat.
Ryan is a Senior Writer at Men’s Health UK with a ardour for storytelling, well being and health. Having graduated from Cardiff University in 2020, and later acquiring his NCTJ qualification, Ryan began his profession as a Trainee News Writer for sports activities titles Golf Monthly, Cycling Weekly and Rugby World earlier than progressing to Staff Writer and subsequently Senior Writer with soccer journal FourFourTwo.
During his two-and-a-half years there he wrote information tales for the web site and options for the journal, whereas he additionally interviewed names comparable to Les Ferdinand, Ally McCoist, Jamie Redknapp and Antonio Rudiger, amongst many others. His standout reminiscence, although, got here when getting the chance to talk to then-Plymouth Argyle supervisor Steven Schumacher because the membership received League One in 2023.
Having grown up a eager footballer and enjoying for his boyhood aspect till the age of 16, Ryan acquired the chance to symbolize Northern Ireland nationwide futsal staff eight occasions, scoring three objectives towards England, Scotland and Gibraltar. Now previous his peak, Ryan prefers to combine weightlifting with operating – he achieved a marathon PB of three:31:49 at Manchester in April 2025, however credit the warmth for failing to get under the coveted 3:30 mark…
