# Do they test for steroids...

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-test-for-steroids/117170>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [July 3, 2002, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-test-for-steroids/117170 "2002-07-03T07:19:03Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\
**Post date:** [July 3, 2002, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-test-for-steroids/117170/1 "2002-07-03T07:19:03Z")

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in bodybuiling competitions??

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**Author:** ![zen101](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c68b51/32.png) [@zen101](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zen101)\
**Post date:** [July 3, 2002, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-test-for-steroids/117170/2 "2002-07-03T07:51:42Z")

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Depends on the competition.

There are four segments of body building.

Amature All-Natural  
Amature  
Pro All Natural  
Pro

The all natural ones do urine screenings for HGH, androsterone, etc.

The other kind is where you see Lee Haney freaks that bulge like a Gold’s Gym T-Shirt.

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**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\
**Post date:** [July 3, 2002, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-test-for-steroids/117170/3 "2002-07-03T14:11:22Z")

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I just saw a special on this on the Discovery channel (or at least the end of one). In the “Natural” competitions, everyone has to do a urine test, and if you fail, you’re out. Looked like a nurse’s dream - a hundred built guys in Speedos parading around in front of you. In the other competitions, like Mr. Universe, they do random drug-testing, in theory, but it was implied that it is meaningless and doesn’t stop anything.

The guys who were in the non-Natural Pro competitions were pretty upfront about their steroid usage. Basically, “Hey, there’s a lot of money involved, and we can’t compete physically if we don’t use steroids. So what choice do we have?”