The aim of this study was to evaluate the cardiac effects of anabolic steroids in weight‐lifters. Thirty top‐level adult weight‐lifters were studied using physical examination, electrocardiography and m‐mode echocardiography. Fifteen athletes (group A) abused systematically androgenic anabolic steroids, while the rest (group B) had never used such drugs. Body weight, lean body mass and resting systolic blood pressure were found to be greater in group A than B. There were no differences in electrocardiographic findings between the two groups. Echocardiography data showed significant increases for athletes using anabolic steroids compared with others in left ventricular end‐diastolic volume (16%) and mass (17%) as well as in total LV volume (17%). These augmentations were in proportion to the increase in skeletal muscle mass. However, left ventricular systolic function indexes were similar in both groups. These data suggest that anabolic steroids cause left ventricular hypertrophy and dilatation in athletes performing static