Dorian Yates 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’s undermining the integrity of bodybuilding.
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, Kevin Levrone, and Nasser El Sonbaty.
Pristine muscle shape and quality detail defined his era, yet he contends those attributes have been lost in today’s landscape. With site enhancement oils like Synthol or injectable fillers seemingly more present than ever, “The Shadow” opened up on how it might impact the sport looking ahead.
Dorian Yates Says PMMA, Synthol Use Must Be Addressed ‘Before It Gets Out of Hand’
In the video, Yates shared that the IFBB Pro League once had a rule barring implants on competitors, but said it’s no longer in place:
“There was a rule in the IFBB that you can’t have implants. Makes sense, otherwise we’d turn it into a cosmetic contest if that was the case. I’m told, I don’t know, I didn’t check it, but I’m told that’s not in the rules anymore and now, we got guys onstage, the arms look like a block, the shoulders look like a block, there’s no separation.”
He called out athletes for using Synthol and other fillers like PMMA, stressing that this is why many competitors lack detail in their muscles.
“Apparently now, people are using oil, like site injection, Synthol, right? But apparently, now, there’s another substance that’s permanent, like silicone injections or something. That explains a lot.”
“You got guys with lumps and bumps all over them. I’m 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’s no detail in there.”
According to Yates, Synthol and PMMA injections need to be stopped immediately, and cited their uncertain long-term health implications.
“This is another level. In my opinion, this needs to stop right now. It’s very obvious, strange-looking body parts that don’t seem to flow together. So if people are going to start basically, it’s an injectable implant, it’s a permanent thing, and who knows the long-term implications of this.”
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.
“Bodybuilding gets enough shit anyway, that it’s not really a sport, that it’s all drugs, blah, blah, blah. But if it’s going to become where you can enhance your muscles with oil or something more permanent, then yeah… it’s 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,” he said.
All in all, Yates wants the issue addressed before it causes irreparable damage to the sport.
“PMMA is what it’s called now,” he shared. “It’s 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.”
Yates isn’t the only bodybuilding legend calling out the lack of muscle quality in the Men’s Open. Former seven-time Mr. Olympia Phil Heath recently argued that his era had ‘real muscle,’ whereas today, competitors are using site-enhancements to prepare for the stage.
“That real muscle. None of that oil. Ain’t none of them dents in the physique. You can actually see the striations,” he said. “None of that oil in the calves, not that oil in the quads, ain’t no dents in the quads, only separation.”
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.
