Joseph Baena, the youngest son of bodybuilding legend Arnold Schwarzenegger, is well on his way to becoming a fitness icon to a new generation. However, the 26-year-old wasn’t always like this. The actor was quite the opposite of athletic as a kid, and barely participated in sports while in school. In fact, he called himself a “chubby” kid.

While appearing on the Transparent with Nyle Nayga Podcast, the bodybuilder son of Arnold Schwarzenegger spoke about his childhood disappointments. The DJ narrated an incident where he thought being good at the video game version of soccer would translate to success on the field. He couldn’t be more wrong.

Joseph Baena overestimated himself

Baena’s first experience in competitive sports ended in disaster. While in school, the bodybuilding legend’s son recalled wanting to play a sport. So, Baena chose soccer, the sport Arnold Schwarzenegger played regularly as a kid in Austria. However, Schwarzenegger was a good player and still has some moves at 76.

Joe, on the other hand, had “no idea” and “had zero experience with soccer.” Baena told Nayga that his only “knowledge” about soccer was through “playing FIFA on Xbox.” Yet, Joseph Baena acted like he was an expert to his teammates. The then-school boy recalled all the formations he used in the game and the names of some famous teams.

“Oh yeah! I know Bayern Munich, Manchester United… I’m good. We’re going to play 4-1-2-1-2 (formation),” Baena recalled bragging to his friends. However, reality hit him hard when the game started. The 26-year-old said he couldn’t do anything at all. The boys ran past him with a ball.

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Meanwhile, Baena got winded and couldn’t even defend. Baena couldn’t even pass the ball to his teammates and immediately got cut. “I was devastated,” said the son of seven-time Mr. Olympia Arnold Schwarzenegger. However, things would change with time and effort.

Inspired by Arnold Schwarzenegger

After facing embarrassment while playing soccer, Joseph Baena tried his hand at swimming. The 26-year-old told the host that he succeeded in swimming. He put in a lot of effort and even got much leaner. Baena then started going to the gym but became undisciplined again during college.

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After graduating, the real estate agent started again. However, this time, Arnold Schwarzenegger was there to help. Joe said that Arnie handed him a copy of his book, The Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding, and there was no going back. Baena studied the book and became hooked. Today, the once chubby boy who faced embarrassment on the soccer field has his own training program to help others get in shape.