In order to enhance their performance, sportsmen use specific "methods" which optimise the qualities needed for their sport, on the basis of various physiological, biological, and psychological factors.
According to a widespread opinion, "upstream" doping, used for the above-mentioned aim, is "bad" and should be distinguished from "downstream", or "good" doping, meant to help athletes recover their physiological and biological balance. In fact, both types of doping are complementary, since they artificially boost the body's abilities, the second type of doping aiming to make up for the negative effects of the former.
Aerobic potential can be increased by increasing the blood's oxygen transfer capacity. This is very important in sports requiring staying power, rely on the body's energy metabolism, or require intense effort and varying sources of energy. After long-lasting or intense effort, glycogen reserves must be restored. A specially adapted nutritional strategy and drugs are then needed to modify the metabolic process. Methods include altitude training, self-transfusion, more recently, recombinant EPO, and of course glucocorticoids, etc.
When the aim is to increase strength and muscular power and improve technique, protein, natural or synthetic anabolic agents are frequently used, in combination with hyperprotein diets and muscle-building exercises. The balance between the increase in muscle mass and the loss of fat mass can be maintained thanks to growth hormones associated with aminoacids or other drugs with anabolic properties (but whose initial medical purpose is other), or with nutritional supplements.
To postpone fatigue and enable the body to reach its utmost limits, one can use antalgics, cardio-respiratory analeptics, central nervous system stimulants, several of which are strong anti-depressants and stimulants.
In sports where body features or size, tall or short, are important, such as body-building, the shape of the body can be modified through hormonal manipulations.
Various drugs are used to fight stress, facilitate sleep, remain in good physical shape, such as benzodiazepine derivatives and amphetamines, cannabinoids, alcohol, beta-blockers. For disciplines where it is important to stay alert, the sleeping-waking rhythm can be controlled thanks to amphetamines or more recent drugs.
Last, cultural and individual factors also play a role in drug-taking behaviour. On the one hand, as concerns men, value is placed on the mesomorphic body type and muscular strength; physical stereotypes are spread by the media and the athletic subculture. On the other hand, one must take into account factors such as low self-esteem, or other psychological problems linked to for example to one’s body image and which existed prior to drug-taking.
Illicit drugs are of course taken on the sly. Several ways of hiding the fact exist: diluting urine, hemodilution, reducing kidney tubular secretions or the testosterone/epitestosterone ratio.

The definition of doping established by the medical commission of the "International Olympic Committee" is based on the prohibition of certain types of pharmaceuticals. This definition also bans new substances which may have been developed by laboratories specifically for doping purposes.
In France, the list of banned substances and methods is given in an amendment to the appendix of the "Convention contre le dopage" of November 16, 1989, approved in Strasbourg on February 28, 1998, which entered in force on March 15, 1998.
Next table shows the new list: