Why I Built CFT — and What Makes It Different From Every Program I Tried
When I first started chasing serious CrossFit goals, I wanted to be competitive. Not just fit. Not just surviving WODs. But actually holding my own on the leaderboard.
So, like most of us do when we want to level up, I pieced together what I thought I needed:
➡️ One program for gymnastics
➡️ Another for upper body strength
➡️ A third for Olympic lifting
➡️ Some extra conditioning work
➡️ And then whatever the daily class was doing
It was too much. And not enough — at the same time.
Despite all the effort, I still had glaring holes. I didn’t have my muscle-ups. My upper body strength wasn’t progressing. And honestly, I felt like I was working harder than anyone — but getting half the results.
😤 I Was Tired of Piecing It All Together
I wanted a program made for someone like me:
- Female
- Competitive
- Driven to improve skills, not just survive metcons
- Tired of scaling or skipping gymnastics
- Hungry to get stronger without burning out
So I built it.
CFT = Competitive Female Training.
Training designed specifically for women who want to train hard, train smart, and actually see progress.
🧠 What Makes CFT Different?
This isn’t random WODs. It’s not a general strength cycle copy-pasted from a male games athlete.
It’s purpose-built training for women who want to be competitive — whether that’s on the leaderboard or just within your own gym.
CFT includes:
✅ Structured strength cycles (upper, lower, and Olympic lifts)
✅ Progressions for gymnastics (strict + dynamic)
✅ Weekly skill sessions that build capacity — not just test it
✅ Intentional aerobic work + recovery balance
✅ Volume and deloads that take your cycle and recovery seriously
✅ One program that doesn’t leave gaps — or make you chase 5 others
🧗♀️ Why Gymnastics Is Always a Priority
Most female athletes don’t need more conditioning. They need upper body strength, pulling capacity, and skill progressions that actually build confidence and reps under fatigue.
CFT leans into that.
We build strict strength, layer in dynamic work, and tie it all together inside metcons that don’t destroy your CNS.
You won’t be scaling ring dips forever. You won’t be doing endless kipping drills with no payoff. We build the base, so the big skills finally show up.
💪 CFT Was Built Because I Needed It
I didn’t want fluff. I didn’t want a billion hours of training a day. I wanted a complete, efficient, female-specific training program that pushed me, challenged me, and made me better.
So I built it — and now hundreds of women are using it to get stronger, build skills, and feel like competitors again.
If you’ve been feeling stuck — like no one program really fits your needs — CFT was made for you.
Let’s train with purpose, for women like us.
💜 Coach Shawna, Founder, Co-owner
