Fragoso aims to brighten the future of powerlifting

Chuey Fragoso turned 49 on June 6 a week after he traveled to Atlanta, Georgia to compete at the USPA ( United States Powerlifting Association) Drug Tested National Championships with two prosthetic hips on May 27.

Nine years ago, Fragoso went through his first hip replacement, which left a lasting impact on him.

“I was severely depressed,” Fragoso said. “I was turning 40 years old and couldn’t do anything epic to celebrate it. I thought I was done, washed up, that my best years were behind me.”

Fragoso began his first stint in powerlifting back in 1992 and finished in 1997.

He returned back to the sport in 2019 and didn’t miss a step

“I actually competed in the junior worlds in 1996 and took home a bronze medal,” Fragoso said. “I went to Philly three times from 1995-97. I was heavy in the sport in the mid-'90s, then I just ended up doing other things.”

It took Fragoso 22 years to return to the sport. The reason he came back to powerlifting was because of his hip replacement.

“That was really the only thing I was able to compete in after my hip injury,” Fragoso said. “I always had a love for the sport and I always came back to it.”

At the same time, both of Fragoso’s kids were about to enter high school and started getting into lifting.

“I saw them start to lift and I said ‘hey, I know, a little bit about that,” Fragoso chuckled. “I looked back into the sport and the same individuals that I knew from 22 years ago were still involved.”

Fragoso’s kids were also a big motivation during his return to the sport.

“They were more or less just along for the ride,” he said. “But I was trying to show them that you can be down, but you’re never completely out. With hard work and dedication you can come back from some serious setbacks in your life.”

The people Fragoso would compete with or lift with in the 1990s were now in administrative rules with the USPA.

“I reached out to the president of the USPA, who I knew from years back,” Fragoso said. “I’ve been away from it for 20 years and came right back. It was like a 20 year break.”

During his return to competition, Fragoso came back right where he left off. He went into the Drug Tested National Championships with ambitions of breaking one to three national or world records in the USPA.

He finished out the event with a 567.7 pull, which ranked number one in the 181-pound weight class and age division.

He would also finish with a 584.2 deadlift, only 19 pounds shy of his 600 pound goal in the event.

“Thank you, Dr. James Pritchett in Seattle,” Fragoso wrote to the man who replaced both of his knees. “I promised myself that I would recover and get back on the platform and truly compete.”

Above everything else, Fragoso wants to grow the sport of powerlifting. It’s bigger now than it’s ever been, according to Fragoso, but there is no powerlifting scene in Sandpoint.

“If anyone is interested in powerlifting please reach out to me,” Fragoso said. “I’m an official for the USPA and I have all the proper lifting equipment in my home gym at Sandpoint.”

Fragoso, a Sandpoint native since 2004, wants to see the sport grow in the area because of its rapid growth around the country.

“It’s way more popular now than it was in the’90s,” Fragoso said. “People are posting their training videos on social media and you have so much access to the sport.”

Another big difference between the sport then and now is the raw lifting division.

“In the ’90s, it was all equipped lifting,” Fragoso said. “You wore a type of singlet that was supported so you could squat down with no weight by yourself. You had the same kind of setup with the bench press.”

The raw division has significantly less gear while lifting.

“You’re basically wearing a wrestling singlet,” Fragoso said. “It’s basically wetsuit material and a powerlifting belt. It’s a way less intemdatinating way to come into the sport.”

Fragoso is motivated to grow powerlifting and make sure that the youth around the Sandpoint area get involved.

He mentored and got Sandpoint senior Levi Ballison into the sport of powerlifting.

Balison entered his first powerlifting event in February and broke three state records.

First, he broke the record in squats by squatting 205 kilograms or 451.9 pounds.

He then deadlifted 237.5 kilograms or 532.6 pounds.

Finally, he broke the bench press record with a lift of 127.5 kilograms or 281.1 pounds.

If you’re somebody who has been interested in giving powerlifting a try, Fragoso would love to get in contact with you.

You can reach out to Fragoso at (423) 432-1786; email him at go2chuy@yahoo.com, or send him a direct message on Instagram at ¡deadliftingjesus.