Kyle CrossFit owner and head trainer Bud Boehnke leads four workout sessions a day. (Photo by Wes Ferguson)
The room is mostly bare, save for some kettlebells, various training equipment and a few posters on the walls. Boehnke and his wife, Cristie, are wearing coats; the space heaters are off because he doesn’t have any clients at this time of day. The only sound, save the wind outside, is the click-clacking of Bella, a small white Maltese mix, as she prances around the concrete floor. Even the dog is wearing a sweater.
It may not look like much at first glance, but this room is Boehnke’s dream. And it almost didn’t come true.
The warehouse holds CrossFit Kyle, which opened in October. If Boehnke’s original life plan were on track, he’d still be in the Air Force. Like his father and grandfather before him, Boehnke always thought he’d retire from the military.
At age 24, Boehnke felt he was at his peak fitness. He’d done three deployments to Iraq with the Air Force. Upon returning from his last tour in 2004, however, he started getting short of breath, light headed, and had chest pains. He ignored the symptoms initially – once even attributing them to a wild time the previous night – but eventually wound up in the emergency room.
Doctors diagnosed Boehnke with aortic valve insufficiency, the medically correct but long way to say defective heart valve. Technically speaking, it’s a disease in which the aortic valve weakens, preventing a tight closure. This causes blood to flow back from the aorta (the largest blood vessel) into the left ventricle (the left lower heart chamber).
His doctors tried medicine first, but surgery was inevitable, according to Boehnke. So in 2005, doctors opened his chest, took out the defective valve, replaced it with his pulmonary valve, which was then replaced with a valve from a cadaver. Doctors said it should last 15 or more years.
But even with the surgery, Boehnke said he wasn’t able to fully perform his job duties.
After seven years in the Air Force, Boehnke had to make a new life plan. The military career he chose was no longer an option. Passionate about fitness and training, Boehnke set his sights on working with athletes, maybe at the university level. So after an honorable discharge, he attended Texas State University working toward a bachelor’s degree in exercise and sports science, with a targeted graduation in 2009.
By 2007, Boehnke knew his dream, albeit revised, was to open a CrossFit training facility in San Marcos. Why CrossFit?
“Because it’s a training program based on functional activities,” Boehnke said. “It’s all about strength and conditioning.”
He doesn’t believe bodybuilding is good because it doesn’t make us fit. “CrossFit training makes us ready for doing anything,” said Boehnke, “whether it’s playing sports, running a marathon or climbing a mountain.”
But within 16 months of the first surgery, Boehnke’s heart troubles returned. Over the next few years, his internal blood loss went from mild to moderate, and then moderate to severe. The chest pains returned and his restricted breathing got worse. The repaired valve was supposed to last 15 to 20 years. Here he was, barely five years later, facing a second heart surgery.
By the time Boehnke recovered from the second procedure in 2010, someone else had opened a CrossFit facility in San Marcos.
He was heartbroken, literally and figuratively. But Boehnke kept his dream alive.
Today, standing in the warehouse that now houses CrossFit Kyle, Boehnke said he and Cristie appreciate every day they have together. While Boehnke said he still struggles with issues such as anxiety and insomnia, he also feels lucky to have survived both surgeries.
It’s been a busy year for the couple, which have known each other since they were 11 years old. They married on April 1, 2011, and opened the business in October. Boehnke said they now have more than 20 clients. “It’s been amazing to see so many people sign up,” said Cristie.
With his easy-going attitude, Boehnke seems to instill a quiet confidence in others. He is quick to smile but admits CrossFit is where he works out his demons.
“This is a place to scream, to cry if needed. It never gets easier because the goal is to vary the workout every day and increase the intensity over time.” Boehnke also stressed the importance of nutrition and said every client keeps a food log.
Boehnke and his wife believe CrossFit is successful because of the sense of camaraderie people find. “Everyone encourages each other,” said Boehnke. They describe CrossFit training as community-based fitness.
For anyone unsure about starting a CrossFit training program, Boehnke said he understands it can seem intimidating at first. “I know some people think CrossFit is only for elite athletes,” he said. “But I ask folks to give me three days. I love to see the transformation they go through when they realize they really can do this.”
And while pull-ups are mandatory, he teaches that every activity can be modified and still be done properly. Boehnke pointed out that he doesn’t allow any sissies in CrossFit.
“Hey,” he said, “if I can do it after having my chest cracked open twice, they have no excuses.”
