Yes, many powerlifters use anabolic steroids and other performance-enhancing substances. What makes powerlifting unusual compared to most sports is that steroid use isn’t always hidden or controversial. The sport is split into two distinct worlds: drug-tested federations where steroids are banned and athletes face testing, and untested (often called “open”) federations where no drug screening takes place and steroid use is openly acknowledged.
Tested vs. Untested Federations
Powerlifting doesn’t have a single governing body with one set of rules. Instead, dozens of federations operate worldwide, each setting its own policies on drug testing. This creates a clear divide.
On the tested side, organizations like USA Powerlifting and the International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) prohibit substances on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s banned list and conduct urine testing at competitions and, in some cases, out of competition. USA Powerlifting has publicly stated it is “committed to drug testing at all levels,” though internal disputes with the IPF have revealed tensions over how transparent and thorough that testing actually is. USA Powerlifting has criticized the IPF for having zero transparency in its drug testing program, not requiring all member nations to test, and keeping positive results confidential.
On the untested side, federations like certain divisions of the Revolution Powerlifting Syndicate explicitly state there is no drug testing in their “Pro” division. Anyone can enter regardless of what substances they use. Some federations offer both tested and untested divisions at the same meet, letting athletes self-select. In the untested world, steroid use is essentially a given at the competitive level, and athletes discuss it openly in training circles and on social media.
How Much Difference Do Steroids Make?
A preprint study comparing the top 10 ranked athletes in each weight class across tested and untested categories found a statistically significant performance gap. Untested men lifted approximately 7.25% more than their tested counterparts. For women, the gap was even larger: untested women lifted about 12% more. These differences were consistent across weight classes and large enough that researchers suggested using specific coefficients to fairly compare athletes from each category.
That gap might sound modest in percentage terms, but in a sport where competitions are won by a few kilograms, 7 to 12% is enormous. It can mean the difference between a 700-pound and a 750-pound deadlift.
What Substances Powerlifters Use
Anabolic steroids are the most common category. These are synthetic versions of testosterone that increase muscle mass, strength, and the speed of recovery between training sessions. Faster recovery is especially valuable in powerlifting, where athletes train with extremely heavy loads multiple times per week. Common compounds include synthetic testosterone, along with other anabolic agents that anti-doping labs have spent decades learning to detect.
Steroids aren’t the only substances in play. Human growth hormone is often used alongside steroids to amplify results. It promotes muscle growth and fat loss. Insulin is another substance with powerful anabolic effects: it drives amino acids and glucose into muscle cells, accelerating growth and repair. Stimulants like caffeine, ephedrine, and amphetamines are used to boost focus, energy, and training intensity, though caffeine at normal doses is legal in most federations.
How Athletes Avoid Getting Caught
Even in tested federations, the system is imperfect. Athletes can time their use of certain substances around competition schedules, stopping far enough in advance for the drug to clear their system before a test. Anti-doping researchers have noted that many positive samples show “constantly decreasing concentrations,” suggesting athletes are using smaller doses or stopping their cycles earlier to duck detection windows.
Testing science has improved dramatically, though. When one WADA-accredited lab in Cologne implemented new detection methods for long-term metabolites of a common oral steroid in 2013, positive findings jumped from an average of 1 or 2 per year to 82 cases in just 11 months. For another steroid, new screening methods increased annual detections from about 23 to 182 in a single year, with roughly 90% of those cases going undetected under the old methods. These leaps suggest that many athletes who previously passed tests were not actually clean.
Globally, anti-doping organizations recorded 1,388 rule violations across all sports in 2021 and 1,652 in 2022, from roughly 241,000 samples collected each year. The majority of those violations came from positive test results rather than other infractions like missed tests or tampering.
Drug-Free Competition Requirements
Athletes who want to compete in tested divisions typically agree to provide a urine sample at any competition and, depending on the federation, submit to random out-of-competition testing. Some federations go further. In the Revolution Powerlifting Syndicate’s “Elite” division, for example, lifters must pay for their own drug test and produce a urine sample immediately after competing. If an amateur-division lifter tests positive, they are permanently banned from that division and responsible for covering the cost of the test.
More stringent organizations follow WADA protocols, which include the Athlete Biological Passport, a system that tracks an athlete’s blood and hormone markers over time to flag suspicious changes even when no specific substance is detected. The idea is that while a single test can be beaten, long-term monitoring of your body’s natural markers is much harder to fool.
Health Risks of Steroid Use
The National Institute on Drug Abuse warns that anabolic steroids can cause severe, long-lasting, and sometimes irreversible damage. The major concerns include early heart attacks, strokes, liver tumors, kidney failure, and psychiatric problems like aggression and depression. These risks exist for any user, but the combination of steroids and the extreme physical demands of powerlifting introduces additional dangers.
Research suggests that weightlifters who use anabolic steroids develop stiffer tendons, which increases the risk of tendon injuries. This is particularly relevant in powerlifting, where the squat, bench press, and deadlift place massive loads on tendons and connective tissue. Steroids can build muscle faster than tendons can adapt, creating an imbalance where the muscles are strong enough to move a weight but the tendons aren’t strong enough to handle the force safely.
Legal Status
In the United States, anabolic steroids have been classified as Schedule III controlled substances since 1991. Possessing or selling them without a valid prescription is illegal. A first offense for simple possession carries up to one year in prison and a minimum $1,000 fine.
The United Kingdom takes a slightly different approach. Steroids are classified as Class C drugs, and possession for personal use is not a criminal offense. However, supplying or manufacturing steroids without authorization can result in up to 14 years in prison. This distinction means a UK-based powerlifter can legally possess steroids for their own use but cannot sell or distribute them.
Despite these laws, enforcement in the context of personal gym use is minimal in both countries. The legal framework exists primarily to target large-scale trafficking rather than individual athletes.