Thor Gets Into The Dirty Details On His PED Regimen And How The Enhanced Games Forced Him To Adjust PED Stack
The Enhanced Games have often been described by critics as the “Steroid Olympics,” but according to Hafthor Bjornsson, competitors still had to follow a specific list of permitted performance-enhancing drugs. The former World’s Strongest Man revealed to reporters which PEDs were allowed, and banned, at the Enhanced Games. Thor said he initially believed the event would allow unrestricted PED use. Instead, he said organizers informed him that only FDA-approved substances were permitted, forcing him to modify the protocol he had planned to use.
Bjornsson’s comments offer one of the clearest firsthand explanations yet of the Enhanced Games’ drug policy. While the event has drawn headlines for embracing medically supervised performance enhancement, it has also maintained that only FDA-approved substances are allowed, a distinction that may surprise many who have only heard it referred to as the “Steroid Olympics.”
“When I first signed up with Enhanced Games, I thought, it’s Enhanced Games, I can use whatever I want, great. But then actually, after speaking to my agent and speaking to the people, I realized that only FDA-approved substances are allowed. So I actually had to change that model a bit, because I was using substances before that weren’t FDA-approved.”
The PEDs Hafthor Bjornsson Said He Used at the Enhanced Games
According to Bjornsson, his protocol included the following substances:
- Testosterone
- Deca-Durabolin (nandrolone decanoate)
- Anadrol (oxymetholone)
- A small amount of Halotestin (fluoxymesterone)
While those substances were permitted under the event’s guidelines, Bjornsson said several compounds he had previously used were specifically prohibited.
PEDs Bjornsson Said Were Not Allowed
When asked which substances he had to stop taking in order to compete, Bjornsson listed three familiar names to bodybuilding and strength sports fans:
- Dianabol (methandrostenolone)
- Trenbolone
- Equipoise (boldenone undecylenate)
“In the past, I took substances like Dianabol. I have used substances like trenbolone that’s not allowed, Equipoise that’s not allowed. So these are the main substances that I have used in the past that are not allowed here at Enhanced Games.”
While Bjornsson did not elaborate on why those compounds were excluded, his comments reinforce the Enhanced Games’ stance that competitors are not free to use any performance-enhancing drug they choose. Instead, the organization has said athletes are limited to FDA-approved substances administered under medical supervision.
Thor Fell Short of His Historic Deadlift Attempt
Bjornsson entered the Enhanced Games aiming to surpass his own 510-kilogram deadlift world record. After successfully pulling 425 kilograms and 475 kilograms, he loaded 515 kilograms onto the bar in an attempt to set a new all-time mark.
The weight briefly broke from the floor, but Bjornsson was unable to complete the lift, leaving his 510-kilogram performance as the official world record.
The Enhanced Games continue to generate debate across the sports world, with supporters arguing the competition offers a transparent, medically supervised alternative to the underground PED use that has long existed in elite athletics. Critics, meanwhile, have raised ethical and health concerns about the concept.
Bjornsson’s latest comments add another layer to that discussion by showing that, despite its reputation, the Enhanced Games still imposed meaningful limits on which performance-enhancing substances athletes could use.
Thor will be back to try and break the deadlift world record at the next Enhanced event, Enhanced Breakers 1 on July 11th.
Featured image via Instagram @thorbjornsson
