San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey has turned part of his training routine into a business venture just before the 2026 NFL season.
McCaffrey announced the launch of The CMC, his first signature training shoe with performance brand While on Earth, in an August 24 Instagram post. The 49ers star said he spent thousands of hours designing, testing and refining the shoe over the past year.
“I’ve been training my entire life, and for the last year I’ve had the opportunity to turn that experience into something of my own,” McCaffrey wrote. “The result is the CMC, my first signature shoe with @whileonearth.”
McCaffrey described the shoe as being built for “stability, control and explosive movement,” three qualities that closely mirror the training philosophy displayed in the accompanying video.
The announcement comes at a relevant point for McCaffrey and San Francisco. He recently returned to 49ers practice after the team deliberately reduced his workload during training camp, and the 49ers are preparing to open the regular season against the Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne, Australia, on September 10.
Christian McCaffrey Turned Training Philosophy Into The CMC
McCaffrey’s launch video is centered much more on preparation than fashion.
“The master is the one who remains the student,” the video begins.
From there, the narration moves through a series of principles surrounding repetition, physical preparation and mental discipline.
“You don’t run from your weaknesses,” one line says. “You attack them and address them.”
Another says: “You don’t rise to the occasion. You fall to the level of your training.”
That philosophy appears to be central to how McCaffrey approached developing the shoe.
While on Earth said The CMC was designed as a versatile trainer for explosive and dynamic workouts. The company described stability and support as priorities without sacrificing the flexibility needed for different kinds of movement. McCaffrey said he personally tested the shoe for countless hours during its development.
It was not simply a licensing agreement in which McCaffrey attached his name to an existing product.
McCaffrey joined While on Earth as a co-founder and investor in August 2025. At the time, he said he wanted the chance to help build something “from the ground up” and have a direct role in product direction.
His latest launch is the clearest result of that partnership to date.
According to Forbes, McCaffrey had input on the signature trainer throughout roughly a year of development and wanted a shoe capable of handling the range of movements he uses while preparing for football.
McCaffrey’s Announcement Comes as 49ers Ramp Up for Week 1
The timing gives the announcement another layer for 49ers fans because McCaffrey is simultaneously ramping his football workload back up.
The veteran running back returned to practice on August 23 after sitting out since August 8. McCaffrey participated in team drills and had four touches, including a run in which he reached the edge and accelerated down the sideline, according to the team.
McCaffrey said afterward that his time away had been planned rather than a setback.
“This was part of the plan from the jump,” McCaffrey said, explaining that the 49ers intended to build his workload, bring it back down and then increase it again so he could stay fresh.
San Francisco has good reason to be deliberate with one of the most important players in its offense before the games count.
The 49ers have one preseason game remaining, August 27 against the Las Vegas Raiders, before turning their attention fully toward their September 10 opener against the Rams at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
That makes McCaffrey’s new business venture unusually connected to his day job.
The Instagram video repeatedly stresses preparation becoming instinct when competition begins.
“Before the snap, there is no thought,” the narration says. “Thoughts can only get in the way.”
Later, the message becomes even more direct: “It’s the art of not thinking to let your body completely take over in a split second.”
McCaffrey has now packaged some of that philosophy into a product bearing his initials.
And in a little more than two weeks, the 49ers will find out how well the preparation itself carries into another NFL season.
49ers Star Christian McCaffrey Makes Personal Announcement Before NFL Season