What is XENOM?
Discover XENOM, the new two-day standardized fitness competition launching in 2026. Learn about its 10 events, upcoming locations, and why it's being called the HYROX of CrossFit.
Discover XENOM, the new two-day standardized fitness competition launching in 2026. Learn about its 10 events, upcoming locations, and why it's being called the HYROX of CrossFit.
In February 2026, XENOM introduced itself to the fitness community, making a splash with $15 million in seed financing, led by investment first WndrCo.
CrossFit and functional fitness enthusiasts’ interest was immediately piqued, and XENOM’s Instagram page quickly jumped from 150 followers to 12,000.
In a nutshell, XENOM is the Decathlon of Fitness, a two-day competition made up of 10 standardized events designed to measure every facet of performance, from maximal strength to gymnastics proficiency and aerobic capacity.
The big key here—and what makes it different from other annual CrossFit competitions—is that, like HYROX, it’s always the same. In this sense, it’s “the first repeatable global benchmark for CrossFit athletes.”
So far, we know 9 out of 10, and XENOM founder Keith Barlow is keeping the 10th event close to his chest a little while longer.
Worth Noting: Below are the Elite versions of the events, however, there is also a Rx division, a scaled division called “compete,” as well as same-sex pairs).
Event 1
Event 2
8-minute AMRAP, ascending ladder of:
Event 3
Event 4
8-minute AMRAP of:
M: 155 pounds (70kg)
F: 105 pounds (48kg)
Event 5
Event 6
TBA
Event 7
3 rounds for time with a 7-minute time cap:
into 10 bar muscle-ups and then max ring muscle-ups
M: 50 pounds (22.5kg)
F: 35 pounds (15kg)
Event 8
12-minute AMRAP:
AMRAP of burpees in the remaining time
Event 9
8-minute AMRAP:
AMRAP of cleans in remaining time, weight 6
M: 220, 245, 265, 285,305, 330 pounds (100, 110, 120, 130, 140, 150kg)
F: 165, 175, 190, 200, 210, 220 pounds (75, 80, 85, 90, 95, 100kg)
Event 10
16-minute AMRAP:
M: 50 pounds (22.5kg)
F: 35 pounds (15kg)
See XENOM’s website for Rx, scaled and same-sex pair workout specifics.
The inaugural XENOM competition debuts from June 27-28 in Dallas, TX, at Ford Center at the Star in Frisco, home of the Dallas Cowboys World Headquarters.
Registration is now open and will be capped at 2,000 participants.
After Dallas, XENOM will head to the UK on August 29-30, and then to Miami, FL, followed by Paris, France.
In total, the first season will see 11 competitions in the United States and Europe, but Barlow is hopeful the brand will hit 60 annual events by year five.
The goal of an XENOM event, Barlow explained, is to give everyday CrossFit athletes “a CrossFit Games-level experience in a known format that is global and provides a comparable benchmark so people can see how they progress.”
It’s something he feels has been missing up until now, and he knows there is a “latent demand” for it, said Barlow, a CrossFit Level 2 coach and the co-owner of FittestPR, a public relations company who works closely with athletes and brands in the fitness space, including HYROX.
He added: “XENOM will be the defining cultural platform for high performance and the pursuit of elite fitness.”
Emily Beers is a fitness writer and journalist with more than 15 years of experience in the industry, including six years as a senior writer for the Morning Chalk Up, a position she still holds. Emily also spent a decade-and-a-half coaching CrossFit, and competed at the CrossFit Games twice with a team and once as an individual.
