Competitive fitness has found its new standard. If CrossFit elevated technique and HYROX democratized endurance, now comes XENOM, a proposal that aims to wrest the throne of global standardization.
With its inaugural event marked on the calendar for June 27 and 28, 2026 at the Ford Center at The Star (Frisco, Texas), XENOM presents itself to the world as the "Fitness Decathlon".
What makes this event different from any other? We analyze its proposal, its vision and how to equip yourself to reach the highest level.
What is XENOM?
XENOM is a structure of 10 standardized tests contested over two days. Unlike competitions where tests can vary at the organizer's discretion, XENOM commits to a fixed, global structure.
The proposition is clear: create a universal ranking. Like an athletic decathlon, athletes compete under the same rules, allowing someone's performance in Dallas to be compared with any other person anywhere in the world, season after season. It is the first true replicable scoreboard for modern hybrid fitness.
What does this competition seek?
XENOM's objective is to professionalize the discipline through a global metric: the Elite Performance Index (EPI).
By assigning a fixed score to each of the 10 tests, the EPI removes subjectivity and allows athletes to plot a real, measurable progress curve. It is the definitive tool for those pursuing physical excellence, not just to win a single test, but to be the most complete on the field.
The scoring system: Understanding the Elite Performance Index (EPI)
What truly makes XENOM unique is its scoring system based on elite athletics. Forget position-based point systems; here scoring is based on absolute performance.
- 1,000 points per test: Each of the 10 tests has a "Benchmark" or reference standard that equals 1,000 points.
- Linear and progressive scoring: If you exceed the standard, you can earn more than 1,000 points in a test. If you fall short, you accumulate points proportional to your actual performance (time, kilos or reps).
- No caps: Your EPI is a raw figure that reflects your total fitness against a theoretical maximum of 10,000 points.
- Global metric: It allows an athlete in Dallas to compare directly with another in London months later.
Who is behind XENOM?
The project is led by Keith Barlow (CrossFit Level 2 certified coach) and is backed by a financial commitment of $15 million led by WndrCo.
Quality is guaranteed by programming from Motion and the official equipment team of Rogue Fitness.
The 10 official tests: the challenge broken down
Day 1: Power, technique and endurance
Event 001: 1RM Snatch.
What is it? A one-rep max snatch attempt. You have 9 minutes and 4 attempts with 90 seconds between attempts to set your best mark of the day.
How to approach it? Don't open with your max: start at 88–90% of your PR and save the final attempt for the hit. Attempt management is as important as brute strength. A failed third attempt from opening too heavy can cost you 100–150 EPI points.
It's the first event, legs are fresh and the nervous system is at 100%. It's the best moment of the weekend to hit a PR. Take advantage and save your hands for what comes next with a good pair of hand grips.
Event 002: Wall Walks + Rope Climbs (AMRAP)
What is it? An 8-minute AMRAP with an ascending ladder of wall walks and rope climbs. The structure increases each round:
- Round 1: 2 Wall Walks + 1 Rope Climb
- Round 2: 4 Wall Walks + 2 Rope Climbs
- Round 3: 6 Wall Walks + 3 Rope Climbs
- … and so on until the 8-minute time cap.
How to approach it? The ladder trap is that the first rounds look easy and that's the danger. The accumulated volume hits suddenly in rounds 3 and 4, when shoulders and grip already feel the work. Keep a steady pace from the start instead of going all-out and crashing.
In wall walks the key is position: tight core and controlled steps toward the wall. Every second lost resetting is unnecessary fatigue. In rope climbs, foot technique efficiency (j-hook or s-wrap) makes the difference. A good shoe with grip and toe protection like the Hybrid 1.0 or the Velites Minimal barefoot training shoes saves energy on each ascent.
Event 003: 60s Max Cal Echo Bike.
What is it? 60 seconds of maximum calories on the Rogue Echo Bike. Pure sprint with a single objective: rack up as many calories as possible before time expires.
How to approach it? There's no pacing strategy here, it's an all-out effort from the first pedal stroke to the last. The goal is to empty the tank completely.
What you can control is position: high cadence from the start, a firm hold on the handles and don't stand unless your standing technique is truly efficient. Many athletes lose calories from poor posture in the last 20 seconds when lactate spikes.
An important detail: this event comes right after the wall walks and rope climbs, with shoulders and grip already taxed. The Echo Bike also involves the upper body; if you arrive with loaded arms, you'll notice the difference. Manage your effort in Event 002 thinking about this sprint.
Event 004: Barbell Cycling.
What is it? A 5-minute AMRAP with a barbell in a descending rep scheme. Each completed round:
- 12 Deadlifts
- 9 Front Squats
- 6 STOH (Shoulder to Overhead)
- 3 Thrusters
How to approach it? The key here is bar weight; it's the same for all 4 movements, so the load is governed by the thrusters, which are the limiting movement. Don't be overly ambitious choosing weight or the thrusters will stop you cold each round.
Efficient cycling is everything: touch-and-go deadlifts, bar in rack position between front squats without dropping, and quick transitions between movements. Every unnecessary pause is dead time in a 5-minute AMRAP.
This is the first event of the day where the hands start to feel the accumulated work: rope climbs, echo bike and now the bar. The Calleras Quad Ultra or All Terrain hand protection makes the difference when sweat and fatigue make the bar start to slip.
Event 005: 3K Run + 2K Echo Ski.
What is it? 2K on the Echo Ski immediately followed by a 3K chip-timed run. No transition, no rest. It's the only event without a time cap; every second counts in the EPI.
How to approach it? The classic trap is going too hard on the ski and arriving at the run with dead legs. The ski works mainly the upper body and core, but cardiovascular fatigue translates directly to the run. The winning strategy is controlled pacing on the ski — enough to avoid wasting time but without mortgaging the run.
The transition between ski and run is a critical moment: legs will feel heavy for the first 400–500 meters of the run. It's normal, don't panic and don't surge before the body regulates. From kilometer 1 the pace normalizes.
It's the close of Day 1 and the longest event of the competition. Manage energy well; what you spend here you'll pay for tomorrow. Lightweight, responsive shoes like the Minimal make the difference in those final 3K when the legs already carry two days of work.
Day 2: Gymnastics, combined movements and an agonizing finish
Event 006: (TBA/Special). The final mystery.
Event 007: T2B + DB Hang Snatch + MU.
What is it? 3 rounds with a 7-minute time cap:
- 15 Toes to Bar
- 15 Dual DB Hang Snatch
- 10 Bar Muscle-Ups (BMU)
- Max Ring Muscle-Ups (RMU)
How to approach it? It's the most technical event of the competition and the one that most differentiates complete athletes from specialists. The 3 rounds seem manageable on paper, but with a 7-minute cap the margin for error is minimal; if you rest too long between sets, the clock eats rounds.
Toes to bar are the first movement of each round and where the grip begins to suffer. Manage sets from the start: better 3 sets of 5 fluid reps than a set of 10 and two of 5 with burned forearms. Arriving to the muscle-ups with shredded hands costs points you won't recover.
This is the event where the Calleras Quad Ultra or All Terrain are absolutely essential — bar, dumbbells and rings in the same event is the most aggressive grip combination of the entire competition. Don't compete in this event without hand protection.
What is it? A 12-minute AMRAP with the following fixed order:
- 30 Burpees over the line
- 30/24 cal Echo Ski
- 30/24 cal Echo Bike
- 30 Burpees over the line
- 30/24 cal Echo Bike
- 30/24 cal Echo Ski
- AMRAP of burpees with the remaining time
How to approach it? It's the pure engine event of Day 2 and the one that punishes most those who haven't managed energy well over the weekend. 12 minutes of continuous work combining three distinct modalities — there is no real recovery at any point.
Burpees are the movement that tempts most to go all-out at the start. Don't. A sustainable burpee rhythm from the beginning is far more profitable in the EPI than starting explosive and stalling halfway through the ski. Set a burpee pace you can maintain into the second round.
The tactical key is transitions between machines: don't waste time mounting and dismounting; every second between ski and bike counts. If you reach the final burpee AMRAP with time and some gas left in the tank, that's where positions in the ranking are won.
What is it? An 8-minute AMRAP with an ascending clean ladder, where weight increases and reps decrease each round. Elite division:
- 10 Cleans at 100kg (M) / 75kg (F)
- 8 Cleans at 110kg (M) / 80kg (F)
- 6 Cleans at 120kg (M) / 85kg (F)
- 4 Cleans at 130kg (M) / 90kg (F)
- 2 Cleans at 140kg (M) / 95kg (F)
- AMRAP at 150kg (M) / 100kg (F)
How to approach it? The early rounds with 10 reps will feel manageable, but remember you arrive at Event 009 with two days of competition behind you. Accumulated fatigue makes 100kg feel very different than it does on a Monday at the box.
Pace is everything: the initial higher-rep rounds should be done in as few sets as possible to save time for the heavy rounds. From 120kg onward each clean is a maximal effort — there's no cycling here, each rep is worked individually.
It's the penultimate event and hands have endured two days of hard work. The Calleras Quad Ultra are essential to maintain grip on the bar when weight is maximal and forearms are at their limit.
HSPU + C2B + DB Lunge.
What is it? A 16-minute AMRAP, the longest of the entire competition, with the following cycle per round:
- 6 HSPU (Handstand Push-Ups)
- 8 C2B (Chest to Bar Pull-Ups)
- 12 Double DB Lunges
How to approach it? It's the final and longest event. With 16 minutes of AMRAP at the close of Day 2, what determines your score is not power but management. Athletes who have administered their energy well over the weekend are the ones who shine here.
HSPUs demand fresh shoulders, which after two days of wall walks, rope climbs, ski and burpees will not be fresh. Break sets from the first round: better 3+3 sustained than 6 unbroken in the early rounds and then stalling midway through the AMRAP.
C2Bs are where grip decides. By this stage hands have been on bar, rope, dumbbells and rings. If you've used the Calleras Quad Ultra or All Terrain through the two days, you'll arrive here with hands able to keep performing. If not, grip will fail before strength.
Double DB lunges are the relative breather of each round — use them to breathe and mentally prepare for the next HSPU.
Your Velites kit to dominate the decathlon
Bar and gymnastics dominance (Events 2, 7, 9 and 10)
- Calleras Quad Ultra: Maximum bar grip.
- Calleras All Terrain: Total versatility across bar and dumbbells.
- Hybrid 1.0 Shoes: Total stability for heavy lifts.
Speed and engine (Events 3, 5 and 8)
- Fire 2.0 Jump Rope: Ally for speed and heart-rate control.
- Earth 2.0 Jump Rope: Ideal to build aerobic endurance volume.
- Minimal Shoes: For agile movement in sprints and AMRAPs.
Apparel and comfort (All events)
- HOLO Collection: Maximum breathability for Texas heat.
- VELITES technical apparel: Total freedom of movement.
Logistics for competing in Dallas: what you need to know
The venue The event takes place at the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas, the training complex and global headquarters of the Dallas Cowboys. It's a top-level facility with athlete zones, recovery areas and spectator spaces. Arrive at least 90 minutes early on Day 1 for check-in, venue familiarization and setup of your area.
Accommodation Stay in Frisco or the Legacy West area, under 10 minutes from the venue. Avoid staying in downtown Dallas if you want solid rest between Day 1 and Day 2 — it's 30–40 minutes away and every minute of sleep counts.
Texas heat in June Temperatures in Dallas in June range around 35–38°C with high humidity. This is not a minor detail; it directly affects performance between events. Active hydration from the night before, electrolytes between tests and maximum-breathability technical clothing are essential. The HOLO collection from Velites is designed specifically for extreme heat conditions: maximum breathability and freedom of movement in every test.
Between Day 1 and Day 2 Prioritize recovery above everything else. High-carb and protein dinner, contrast bath or ice if available, and at least 8 hours of sleep. Dallas can wait until Monday.
Going to Dallas? Your Velites XENOM kit is waiting.
The Fitness Decathlon demands being prepared on all fronts: strength, endurance, gymnastics and engine. Equip yourself with the gear used by the world's most demanding athletes and arrive at the Ford Center ready to put your best EPI on the line.
