083 Steroids in Professional CrossFit

A recent study anonymously surveyed professional CrossFit athletes.

1/3 of the athletes surveyed used steroids.

Elite athletes report using steroids to increase sport performance, to make more money, and often believe that others are using them.

Most athletes acknowledge that steroids are effective.

Which is correct – steroids are very effective at building muscle and strength.

Most athletes also acknowledge that steroids are cheating and risky to your health.

However, despite the majority of the athletes using steroids experiencing adverse effects (61.3%), most reported satisfaction with use, believing that the benefits outweigh the drawbacks.

The most common steroid the pro CrossFit athletes used was testosterone (71%). Users deployed on average two types of steroids.

Most users were male (74.2%) and about half were males aged 30-39. Athletes who are older and who have more competition experience are more likely to use steroids.

From here, we cover:
How Steroids Work
Side Effects of Steroids
Discussion of Steroids in Sport

Assessment of Anabolic Androgenic Steroids Use Among Professional CrossFit® Athletes: Motives, Perception, and Safety
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38812099/

Anabolic–androgenic steroids: How do they work and what are the risks
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/endocrinology/articles/10.3389/fendo.2022.1059473/full

Self-reported attitudes of elite athletes towards doping: differences between type of sport
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16586338/

Doping in sport: a review of elite athletes' attitudes, beliefs, and knowledge
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23532595/

For full list of references, message me on Instagram @paulbweber