Why do some weightlifting people take drugs?

The most frequently used drugs for Weightlifting are anabolic steroids, which are like artificial testosterone. The reason they are taken is that they increase muscular size and strength faster than would otherwise be possible. It is not so much that the drugs themselves increase muscular size and strength, it is that they allow more rapid recovery from training and, so, enhance the effects of strength training. For example, it you do strength training with sufficient intensity and are not taking drugs, a day or two later you'll experience DOMS (delayed onset muscular soreness). In order to ensure systemic (not just localized) recovery, you should wait at least another 24 hours before training again. Therefore, you may end up training intensely once every four or five days. By way of contrast, someone using steroids can train with intensity every day--or even sometimes twice a day. All things being equal, the person who can train more frequently will achieve faster results. However, there is no free lunch. For example, since anabolic steroids work only on muscles and not connective tissues (ligaments and tendons), people who use them are more likely to suffer connective tissue injuries. They actually can cause a whole host of other problems as well. That is why people use them and why it is best NOT to use them.