“The beauty of CrossFit is the scalability. I just did the best I could and slowly progressed."
It was a Saturday morning in Harlem. Kevin Bouley was walking to the subway station like he did most weekday mornings, en route to work. Suddenly an out-of-control van came off the road, slamming into the scaffold under which Bouley was walking.
“It caused the scaffold to collapse on me,” he says of the March 7, 2009, incident that almost killed him. “I was in intensive care for 10 days and in the hospital for a month.”
Bouley says the details as to what caused the driver to lose control were never revealed to him; his attorney advised him against pressing formal charges.
Of the injuries he suffered, Bouley lists, “Fractured skull, fractured jaw, five teeth destroyed, fractured clavicle, four spinal stress fractures, comminuted fracture of the left humerus, fractured ribs, fractured right ankle, a collapsed lung and a bruised heart.”
Bouley was on a ventilator for three days. It took him a year to feel normal again and to resume a full schedule.
Six months after the accident, Bouley went back to work 30 pounds heavier.
In March, the 5-foot-10-inch, 225-pound man walked into CrossFit NYC for a free beginner class upon the encouragement of friend and CrossFit athlete, Dave “Rilla” Callahan.
“We did Tabata push-ups, sit-ups and air squats,” Bouley recounts. “I did knee push-ups after two rounds and reached push-up failure after five rounds. I reached sit-up failure after six rounds and my squats didn’t achieve proper depth.”
He says he was surprised by how quickly he failed. Still, when he got home, Bouley hopped on CrossFit NYC’s website, took out his credit card and paid for the elements course.
“I told myself that any workout that could crush me like that had to work and would be right for me,” he says.
His broken left humerus stifled much of his progress.
“My left hand was paralyzed for four months and was weakened for over a year due to nerve damage,” Bouley says. “The bone took a year to heal and it was difficult to complete tasks that required two hands.”
Today, he occasionally feels numbness throughout his left hand.
Starting CrossFit, Bouley’s injuries weren’t as much of an issue as his lack of mobility. Today, he still suffers from a tight left shoulder.
“Before every workout, I do PVC pass-throughs and band stretches to open up the shoulders,” he says. “There are also some exercises like one-armed dumbbell presses that really target the weakness/mobility of my left shoulder. Once I get it warmed up and loose, I can function pretty well during the workout. I'm sure that in time, it will open up.”
Early on, Bouley says he was motivated by dramatic gains.
“The beauty of CrossFit is the scalability,” he says. “I just did the best I could and slowly progressed.”
Realizing he could not become fitter all on his own made him stick with CrossFit, Bouley says.
“I needed a system that allowed me to see progress,” he says. “CrossFit gives me that so well that I’ve never considered quitting.”
Some workouts have pushed him to his emotional and physical limits, Bouley says.
“But that’s the point,” he adds.
In nine months, Bouley lost 45 pounds, improved his bodyweight movements and now maintains a 90-percent paleo diet.
“I can do five to six strict pull-ups with no band and 25 to 30 push-ups unbroken,” he says. “When I started, I was using the heaviest band and could only do three to four push-ups.”
Bouley says he’s surrounded by other members who also want to get better.
“This is what I need,” he says.
That attitude has transferred into other areas of his life as well, Bouley notes.
“I’m more productive at work and a more supportive partner to my wife,” he says.
“I am more focused on my tasks and I take fewer breaks. I’m also excited about my workout and this keeps me energized. In regards to my marriage, my general mood has improved and I’m not as tired after a long day. I contribute more to housework and to cooking.”
In October, Bouley successfully completed the CrossFit Level 1 Seminar.
“The human body is a miraculous machine,” he says. “I’m looking forward to making CrossFit an even bigger part of my life.”
