Derek Lunsford may seem bulletproof as the 212 Olympia champion turned two-time Mr. Olympia, but the 32-year-old was on an emotional rollercoaster last year. As the Indiana inspiration captured his second Mr. Olympia trophy in 2025, rumors soon began to circulate that the bodybuilder had suffered a breakdown backstage during the finals held in Las Vegas last October. Then allegations surfaced that he injected himself with PMMA to win bodybuilding’s most prestigious award. To set the record straight, Lunsford discussed all these issues and more on TMP.
What did Derek Lunsford say about PMMA?
PMMA — Polymethyl methacrylate – is a synthetic filler that can create the impression of muscle volume. In medicine it is used to remodel bone and is also used to manufacture contact lenses. Some observers had suggested that Lunsford may have turned to the drug to combat the effects of the torn pectoral muscles he suffered just weeks after the Olympia final. Lunsford coach Chris Aceteto denied it, and the man himself said he didn’t even know what PMMA was for.
During The Menace Podcast, the champion further explained that he is not an expert on numerous substances, including the more commonly used peptides. “Is it a crime not to know something?” Lunsford asked, explaining that he normally doesn’t respond to every allegation made against him, but felt compelled to do so because he didn’t want aspiring bodybuilders to be misled into thinking that using a substance like PMMA is common. “Now, do the guys I work with do things like that? I don’t know,” he told TMP. “I’d like to think ‘No,’ but maybe there are people who do.”
Lunsford said he wanted to make sure people know it is possible to win a Mr Olympia trophy without turning to synthetic fillers, citing Milos Sarcev’s own negative experiences with synthol as an example of what turned him away from that kind of practice.
Derek Lunsford opens up about his panic attack during the Mr. Olympia 2025
Earlier in the show, Lunsford also discussed the mental turmoil he faced in Las Vegas during the Mr. Olympia finals, where he confirmed that he needed to be checked backstage EMT to confirm that his vital signs were fine. “I don’t have to tell everyone everything, but in some ways I felt like this was my duty to explain what happened,” reigning Olympia said. “So, honestly, man, it was a little embarrassing to admit,” he said. “Because I’m someone who says all year round, ‘I’m resilient, I’m mentally strong,’ like I can keep going. I never really believed in panic attacks. I always thought it was like, you have to be stronger in mind than that. And then I realized, ‘Oh, shoot,’ like, yeah, I had that too.”
Because the visibility was emotional as he relived the incident, Lunsford explained that he now wanted to use his platform and voice to help others. “I’m just like everyone else. In an emotional sense, physical sense, all that. You know?”
To watch the full show, which also saw Dennis James share his own experiences with anxiety and the team round up all the latest bodybuilding news, see below.
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