Arnold Schwarzenegger’s son does his bodybuilding debut – stealing his 9-move push-up workout

When you’ve inherited the genetics of one of the greatest bodybuilders who ever lived, you might as well take advantage of them, right? Joseph Bina, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s son, certainly is.

The 28-year-old is following in his father’s footsteps and competing in his first bodybuilding competition on Saturday, April 5 at the NPC Natural Colorado State Championships. In preparation for her stage debut, Baena has been working out alongside Schwarzenegger at the gym. He captioned a photo of himself curling a 70-pound EZ bar, with Arnold standing in the background, writing, “You gotta rock the muscles” as advice offered by his dad.

Bina, also an athlete, first started training as a teenager after Schwarzenegger gave him a copy of the Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding (which he wrote). He’s remained a natural in his quest to build as much muscle as possible, choosing instead to push hard through isolation movements for about two hours a day, six days a week.

“One of the biggest things I learned from my dad was not to have a 10-repeat mentality,” Bina told MH. ‘It’s pushing yourself to the limits and going that extra mile, getting those extra reps and half-reps until you’re basically dead.’

That mindset is evident in a nine-move stress-a-day workout she recently shared on Instagram. Focusing on his chest and shoulders, Binna even finds time to add in a few bicep exercises to really show off his physique as he works out at the legendary Gold’s Gym.

exercise

1. Multiple heights
2. Shoulder pressure
3. Rear Delt Fly
4. Breast supported Y lift
5. Online press
6. Dumbbell bench press
7. Cable Fly
8. EZ Bar Curl
9. Bicep curl lie

How to move

Multidimensional height

Grab a few dumbbells and stand at your sides, with your arms facing your body and knees slightly bent. Stand tall, pull your navel into your spine to engage your core and pull your shoulder blades back and down.

Keeping your back straight, and your upper body—that is, not moving at all—raise the dumbbells to your side, keeping the weight above your knees. Raise until your arms are parallel to the floor, then slowly lower back to the starting position.

shoulder press

Stand with feet hip-width apart, glutes gently engaged, ribs tucked. Bring the bar or dumbbells to shoulder height with forearms vertical. Think: Knees slightly forward, touching the ceiling. Keep the vein bag over the ribcage – don’t let your lower back arch.

Tilt your head back slightly to clear the bar, then return to neutral as the weight passes your face. Extend your arms fully overhead, with biceps close to ears, shoulder blades raised. Think: rise to the top. Bring the weight back to the shoulders without collapsing.

Rear Delt Fly

Sit on the edge of a bench with a dumbbell in each hand by your side. Lean forward as far as possible until your chest touches your thighs. Without moving your torso, lift the dumbbells up and away from your body in a steady arc, keeping a slight bend in your knees. Squeeze your shoulder blades together at the top of each rep before slowly lowering the dumbbells to a squat and repeating.

Chest supported Y up

Lie face first on a bench with your arms fully extended and hold a dumbbell in each hand. Without moving your torso, lift the dumbbells up and away from you, so you create a Y-position at the top. Squeeze your shoulder blades together at the top of each rep before slowly lowering the dumbbells to a squat and repeating.

Online Press

Start with a bench set at a 30°-45° incline. The higher the end of this range, the more you will target your upper pecs and shoulders. Sit at the end of a bench with dumbbells on your knees. Lie back on the bench and lift the dumbbells to your chest to help you lift your knees alternately. Plant your feet on the floor, core engaged and hands clasped with dumbbells directly above the upper chest.

Slowly lower the elbows in an arrow shape under the shoulders so that you get a big stretch across the chest. Keep the dumbbells evenly spaced throughout the show and don’t allow them to move further apart. Pause for a second before explosively pushing the weights away from you, returning to your starting position as you inhale, ready to repeat.

Dumbbell bench press

Lie back on a flat bench holding two dumbbells at shoulder height, overhand grip. Push your feet into the floor to contract your quads and glutes, and squeeze your shoulder blades back to shorten the weight of the trip. It increases nerve drive to your chest, delts and triceps. From the starting position, inhale and slowly lower the elbows until they touch your chest. Focus your mind on activating your chest muscles and explosively pushing the weight back to the starting position as you exhale. This is a representative.

Cable Fly

Attach the stirrup handles to the upper bridges of the cable crossover machine. Take one in each hand – your hands should be extended with a slight bend at the knees. Place one leg slightly forward, bend your torso, and pull the arms slightly down and across your body until your hands are together, then return to the starting position.

EZ Bar Curl

Hold the EZ bar shoulder-width apart and extend your arms. Lift up to your shoulders without moving the elbows. Lower until your arms are fully extended, then repeat.

False biceps curl

Lie cross-legged on the floor, or on a flat or slightly inclined bench with low-pull cable handles. Grasp the wrists, allowing your arms to fully extend, while keeping your upper arms tight at your sides and feeling a deep stretch in the biceps.

Curl by just bending at the knees, keeping your upper arms and shoulders in place. Hold and bend at the top, then lower under slow control, back to full. Repeat.