In Episode 266 of The Menace Podcast, host Dennis James and his regular guests Milos Sarcev and Jose Raymond were joined by the 2025 Mr. Olympia, Derek Lunsford, who opened up about the recent rumors concerning PMMA, and his “panic attack” in Las Vegas.
Derek Lunsford may seem bullet proof as the 212 Olympia champion who went on to become a two-time Mr. Olympia, but the 32-year-old was on an emotional roller coaster last year. While the inspiration from Indiana captured his second Mr Olympia trophy in 2025, rumors soon began to circulate that the bodybuilder had suffered a breakdown backstage during the finals that took place in Las Vegas this past October. Then, allegations surfaced that he’d been injecting himself with PMMA to help secure bodybuilding’s most prestigious prize. 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 appearance 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 substance in order to combat the effects of the torn pec that he suffered just weeks out from the Olympia final. Lunsford’s coach, Chris Aceteto denied it, and the man himself said that he didn’t even know what PMMA was for.
During The Menace Podcast, the champ further explained that he is no expert on numerous substances, including more widely used peptides. “Is it a crime to not know something?” asked Lunsford, explaining that he normally doesn’t address every allegation that is made against him, but felt compelled to do so because he didn’t want aspiring bodybuilders to be misled into thinking that the use of a substance like PMMA is common practice. “Now, do the guys I complete with do stuff like that? I don’t know,” he told TMP. “I would like to think, ‘No’, but maybe there’s some that do.”
Lunsford said that he wanted to make sure that people know it is possible to win a Mr Olympia trophy without turning to synthetic fillers, sighting Milos Sarcev’s own negative experiences with synthol as an example that turned him off that kind of practice.
Derek Lunsford Opens Up on his Panic Attack at the 2025 Mr. Olympia
Earlier in the show, Lunsford also discussed the mental turmoil that he faced in Las Vegas during the Mr. Olympia final, confirming that he had to be checked out by the backstage EMT in order to confirm that his vitals were okay. “I don’t have to tell everybody everything, but in some regard, I felt like this was my obligation to explain what happened,” said the reigning Mr Olympia. “So, honestly, man, it was kind of embarrassing to admit,” he shared. “Cuz I’m someone that’s like, all year, I’m like, ‘I’m resilient, I’m mentally strong,’ like I can keep going. I never believed really much in panic attacks. I always kinda thought it was just like, you gotta be stronger minded than that. And then I realized, ‘oh, shoot,’ like, yeah, I had that too.”
Visibility emotional while reliving the incident, Lunsford explained that he now wanted to use his platform and voice to help others. “I’m just like everybody else. In an emotional sense, physical sense, all that. You know?”
To watch the full show, where Dennis James also shared his own experiences of anxiety, and the team broke down all the latest bodybuilding news, see below.
