Joseph Baena Channels Dad Arnold Schwarzenegger While Competing in His First Triathlon

Joseph Baena celebrated his 26th birthday by competing in the Malibu Triathlon, posting a slew of photos that bare a striking resemblance to his dad Arnold Schwarzenegger.

By Alexandra Bellusci Oct 02, 2023 7:54 PMTags
Watch: Would Arnold Schwarzenegger EVER Do Reality TV? Joseph Baena says...

Joseph Baena is saying Hasta la vista, baby to his first triathlon.

The Dancing with the Stars alum put his endurance to the test in honor of his 26th birthday as he competed in the Malibu Triathlon. And not only is Joseph's recent accomplishment further proof he's following in his father and fellow fitness guru Arnold Schwarzenegger's footsteps, his post-race photo bears a striking resemblance to the Terminator star.

"Competed in my first triathlon today!" Joseph wrote on Instagram Oct. 1, alongside a photo of himself flexing while holding a medal. "What a great experience it was to compete with such amazing athletes. With my birthday coming up I wanted to challenge myself in a new way, I feel like I did really well and I'm proud of myself for going the distance. I truly believe that if you have muscles, you should be able to use them."

And that's exactly what the realtor, who turned 26 on Oct .2, did. In a follow up post, Joseph shared a clip of himself running out of the water and across the finish line after completing the beach race.

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Arnold Schwarzenegger's Big Movies

"Twenty Six? More like Twenty SICK!," he captioned the video. "Here's your POV of me running into my late twenties."

It's clear Joseph is following in his dad's footsteps, keeping up with his fitness and even starting an acting career just like Arnold. But one thing is for sure, he isn't letting outside noise hold any weight.

"I think with anyone that's had a high-succeeding parent, it's just going to be difficult," Joseph told E! News in April. "People always discredit them, say, 'You only got that because of your parents, you only got that because of X, Y and Z.' It's hard, but it's just something that you have to live with. Know within yourself that if you're putting in the work and you're actually doing it, then none of that should matter."

Joseph Baena/ Instagram

Every now and then, Joseph, whose mom is Mildred Baena, can't help but catch a hateful comment on social media—something he admits can get under his skin.

"It was really bothering me that anytime I would get any kind of role or press, or I would post a physique picture on Instagram, I would always get comments of, 'You're only there because of your dad' or whatever," he recalled. "It bothered me at the time."

But Joseph has Arnold to turn to when it comes to navigating the waters of fame.

"For me, he's the smartest man alive," he gushed about The Expendables star, "and I look up to him so much, he's one of my greatest inspirations. But I love figuring things out on my own. And, thankfully, I am mentally strong enough to not let the scrutiny get to me. It's always been a thing that I've heard, 'Don't pay attention to the comments, don't pay attention to what people are saying.' Most things are out of context."

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