Are some CrossFit athletes cheating?

Yes, some CrossFit athletes are suspected of cheating, particularly concerning the use of performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs). The discussion on the Mind Pump Podcast with guest Hunter McIntyre highlights that while CrossFit has a system of random drug testing, there may still be athletes who manage to circumvent these tests. Hunter mentions a skepticism about the effectiveness of these drug tests and indicates that some athletes might be using PEDs without getting caught, partly due to the sporadic nature of testing and possibly selective testing practices. They also noted that though some athletes have been caught, the method of selecting athletes for publicized penalties may not rigorously target the top performers, possibly to preserve the sport's public image 1.

Moreover, Hunter discussed various dubious explanations that athletes use when caught with banned substances, such as accidental consumption or unlikely contamination scenarios, which casts further doubt on the genuineness of some athletes' compliance with drug-free regulations 2.