Fragoso wins national powerlifting championship
Exactly four years ago today, Sandpoint’s Chuy Fragoso started a new powerlifting journey after a 22-year hiatus. Now, he is a national powerlifting champion and is headed to compete on the world stage.
Recently, Fragoso won the 2023 Powerlifting America Masters National Championship in Scottsdale, Ariz. Powerlifting America is the U.S. federation that feeds into the International Powerlifting Federation. Due to his outstanding performance, Fragoso is set to compete in the IPF Masters World Championship in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, on Oct. 10 in the 83kg (183 pounds) weight class in the 50-59 age division.
“I’m extremely excited about competing in Mongolia,” Fragoso said. “The thought of competing on the international stage was my ultimate goal — it was all but a dream back in 2019 before having my second hip replaced.”
For those unfamiliar with powerlifting, competitors are scored on three lifts — squat, bench press, and deadlift, in that order. Lifters get three attempts at each lift discipline and competitors can only attempt a weight equal or higher than their failed attempt. You need at least two-out-of-three judges to pass a competitor’s lift for it to count. The heaviest successful lift in each discipline counts toward your total weight lifted.
At nationals, Fragoso set a new personal record with a total weight of 1,355.8 pounds. He successfully squatted 446.4 pounds, bench-pressed 325.2 pounds, and deadlifted 584.2 pounds.
“I have my sights set on 1400-plus, but there is still more work to be done in order to get there,” Fragoso said. “All of my lifts have to show up on the same day to achieve that total.”
Fragoso was inspired to get back into powerlifting after getting both of his hips replaced – one in 2013, and the other in 2019. He felt the need to start working toward something long-term, so he turned to powerlifting. Fortunately, Fragoso is no stranger to powerlifting competing at the international level back in the mid-1990s.
Fragoso said it was not an easy process getting back into the sport after such a long hiatus, but he was persistent. One of his main struggles in the beginning was just being able to strengthen himself beyond that of everyday activities.
“Once I was able to train again, I knew I had to put in the same amount of work as everyone else,” Fragoso said. “I just had to remain aware of the fact that I do have artificial hips and should not do anything too risky.”
In training for nationals, Fragoso worked out five days per week with each training session taking about two hours. There are much longer rest periods between sets when training for powerlifting, which requires a lot of discipline. Fragoso has accumulated all the necessary powerlifting equipment at his home gym, which has helped him tremendously in his efforts.
Over the last few years, Fragoso has competed throughout the region in Kirkland, Wash., Kalispell, Mont., New Plymouth, Idaho, and Spokane, Wash. The powerlifting phenom has also competed in Costa Mesa, Calif., and Atlanta, Ga., in the national circuit.
“I have this desire to be better than I was yesterday, achieve stronger lifts, and continue to increase my total. I have a desire to be strong,” Fragoso said when asked about what motivates him day in and day out. “Once I got the taste of being back on the platform I knew that I needed this sport back in my life.”
Powerlifting has a wide range of age groups and weight classes to compete in. For more information about local powerlifting, Fragoso can be reached at go2chuy@yahoo.com.
