{"id":24629,"date":"2026-07-13T18:39:29","date_gmt":"2026-07-13T18:39:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=24629"},"modified":"2026-07-13T18:39:29","modified_gmt":"2026-07-13T18:39:29","slug":"dorian-yates-calls-out-rampant-synthol-pmma-use-in-todays-bodybuilders-this-needs-to-stop-right-now-fitness-volt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=24629","title":{"rendered":"Dorian Yates Calls Out Rampant Synthol, PMMA Use in Today’s Bodybuilders: ‘This Needs to Stop Right Now’ \u2013 Fitness Volt"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Dorian Yates<\/a> believes the sport is headed in the wrong direction. In a YouTube video from July 12, 2026, he called out athletes for using site enhancement oils and PMMA. He believes it\u2019s undermining the integrity of bodybuilding.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the 1990s, Dorian Yates cemented himself as an all-time great bodybuilder. Instead of relying on aesthetics, he used his granite muscle hardness and size to dominate the sport. Throughout his reign, Yates defeated household names, including Shawn Ray<\/a>, Kevin Levrone<\/a>, and Nasser El Sonbaty<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Pristine muscle shape and quality detail defined his era, yet he contends those attributes have been lost in today\u2019s landscape. With site enhancement oils like Synthol or injectable fillers seemingly more present than ever<\/a>, \u201cThe Shadow\u201d opened up on how it might impact the sport looking ahead.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Dorian Yates Says PMMA, Synthol Use Must Be Addressed \u2018Before It Gets Out of Hand\u2019 \u00a0<\/h2>\n

In the video, Yates shared that the IFBB Pro League once had a rule barring implants on competitors, but said it\u2019s no longer in place:\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\u201cThere was a rule in the IFBB that you can\u2019t have implants. Makes sense, otherwise we\u2019d turn it into a cosmetic contest if that was the case. I\u2019m told, I don\u2019t know, I didn\u2019t check it, but I\u2019m told that\u2019s not in the rules anymore and now, we got guys onstage, the arms look like a block, the shoulders look like a block, there\u2019s no separation.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

He called out athletes for using Synthol and other fillers like PMMA, stressing that this is why many competitors lack detail in their muscles.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\u201cApparently now, people are using oil, like site injection, Synthol, right? But apparently, now, there\u2019s another substance that\u2019s permanent, like silicone injections or something. That explains a lot.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cYou got guys with lumps and bumps all over them. I\u2019m not going to name names, but one guy got golf balls here, golf balls there [on the lats], one here, one here, and kind of smooth looking right? So the muscles are very full but there\u2019s no detail in there.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

According to Yates, Synthol and PMMA injections need to be stopped immediately, and cited their uncertain long-term health implications.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\u201cThis is another level. In my opinion, this needs to stop right now. It\u2019s very obvious, strange-looking body parts that don\u2019t seem to flow together. So if people are going to start basically, it\u2019s an injectable implant, it\u2019s a permanent thing, and who knows the long-term implications of this.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

He added that at a certain point, bodybuilding is no longer a sport if competitors use implants instead of the muscles they sculpted through hard training.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\u201cBodybuilding gets enough shit anyway, that it\u2019s not really a sport, that it\u2019s all drugs, blah, blah, blah. But if it\u2019s going to become where you can enhance your muscles with oil or something more permanent, then yeah\u2026 it\u2019s becoming not a sport. Because this is now just a result of your work, even anabolics is only enhancing what you got right? So, this is another level,\u201d he said<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

All in all, Yates wants the issue addressed before it causes irreparable damage to the sport.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\u201cPMMA is what it\u2019s called now,\u201d he shared. \u201cIt\u2019s from Brazil, which is the number one country in the world for cosmetic procedures. So, is it a sport now, or are we allowed to put substances in there to change the shape and everything? I think this needs to be addressed in the sport before it gets out of hand.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Yates isn\u2019t the only bodybuilding legend calling out the lack of muscle quality in the Men\u2019s Open. Former seven-time Mr. Olympia Phil Heath recently argued that his era had \u2018real muscle,\u2019<\/a> whereas today, competitors are using site-enhancements to prepare for the stage.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\u201cThat real muscle. None of that oil. Ain\u2019t none of them dents in the physique. You can actually see the striations,\u201d he said. \u201cNone of that oil in the calves, not that oil in the quads, ain\u2019t no dents in the quads, only separation.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

When used subtly, detecting substances like Synthol can be challenging. In time, Yates hopes to see the sport steer away from site enhancements, with athletes presenting muscle earned through hard work, not an injectable substance.\u00a0<\/p>\n

RELATED:\u00a0<\/strong>Dennis James Dismisses PMMA Claims Against Derek Lunsford; Jose Raymond Responds Harshly to Sarah Villegas: \u2018She Looks Like a Spoiled Brat\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

Watch the full video from the Thomas DeLauer YouTube channel below:\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/h4>\n