The Study
Expectancy effects and strength training: do steroids make a difference?
This study shows that when powerlifters thought they were taking steroids, their performance got better — even though they were only taking a fake pill. But once they found out it was fake, the boost went away. This suggests belief can affect performance, but we can't say for sure that the belief caused the change because we don’t know all the details of how the study was done.
Analysis score
Maximum 44 for a cross-sectional study.
Where the score came from
Some strong lifters were told they were taking powerful steroids, but they were actually given fake sugar pills. They got stronger because they believed in the drug. When scientists told half of them it was fake, their strength gains went away.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 520 / 100
Quality score
Snapshots of a population at a single point in time, or descriptions of small groups. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine cause and effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes, the result shows that what people believe can change how strong they are, even without real drugs.
- 2Strength went up when lifters thought they were taking steroids.
- 3When they found out it was a fake, the boost mostly disappeared.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Related Content
Claims (3)
If powerlifters think they're taking steroids—even when they're just getting a fake pill—they might still get stronger, just because their mind expects it to work.
If powerlifters think they’re taking steroids but are actually told it’s just a placebo, their performance boost goes away — meaning the mind plays a big role in the gains they thought came from drugs.
Just believing you're getting a performance boost — even if you're not taking any real drugs — can actually help competitive powerlifters get stronger, showing that mindset really matters in top-level sports.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.