A ten-event scoring format leaves your weakness in the numbers
In short
Xenom, billed as the decathlon of fitness, held its first event in Frisco, Texas in 2026: ten events over two days, each worth up to 1,000 points. Because events as different as a nine-minute 1RM snatch, a 60-second max-calorie air bike, and a 2K ski plus 3K run all feed the same points system, a strong event cannot cover the points lost in a weak one. Entry for the London stop in August 2026 runs just over $300, against $20 for basic CrossFit Open registration.
A competition format is a statement about what the sport values. Powerlifting ranks you on one total, which is why a big deadlift can carry a weak bench. Allotting 1,000 points to each of ten events structurally blocks that kind of covering.
Xenom, announced in February 2026 and first staged at the Ford Center in Frisco, Texas, uses that format. More than 250 athletes travelled in from around the world for ten events across two days, split into three divisions — Compete, Rx, and Elite. The event list stays the same from stop to stop, so competitors re-measure themselves on the same tasks year after year.
What do the ten events actually measure?
- Day 1 — 1RM snatch for load (9-minute cap), ascending wall walk and rope climb AMRAP, 60-second max-calorie echo bike, barbell cycling (12 deadlifts, 9 front squats, 6 shoulder-to-overhead, 3 thrusters, 5-minute cap), 2K ski plus 3K run (40-minute cap)
- Day 2 — toes-to-bar, dumbbell hang snatch and muscle-up (6-minute cap), 5RM rhino pull (3-minute cap), burpees plus ski plus bike (12-minute cap), heavy clean ladder (8-minute cap), handstand pushups, chest-to-bar and dumbbell lunge (12-minute cap)
Sorted by quality, five axes fall out: maximal strength (1RM snatch, 5RM rhino pull), power endurance (barbell cycling), aerobic capacity (ski plus run), skill (muscle-ups, handstand pushups), and recovery, both event-to-event and day-to-day. That last one is the least familiar to lifters. A 5RM under a three-minute cap is a routine task on its own; as the eighth event of the day it becomes a different problem entirely.
What a lifter learns from the scoresheet
Strong lifters usually bank points on the first event of day one and give them back afterwards. Runners give theirs back on the barbell events. At the inaugural stop, competitors noted that even the entry-level Compete division was too hard for an average CrossFitter, and that the per-event points allocation was not immediately intuitive. Polish aside, the scoresheet is honest — it records exactly which axis is weak.
Read it alongside your muscle index
The muscle index deliberately measures one axis. It is a relative strength score — a big-three total corrected for bodyweight, sex, age, and height — with no aerobic capacity, no skill, and no recovery in it. Which is why the two numbers together say more than either alone. High index and a low competition score means the gap is engine and recovery, not strength. The reverse means it is time to rebuild the programme around heavier work.
Halving your big-three volume to prepare for a mixed-modality competition does lower your index. Skill events like muscle-ups and handstand pushups take months to learn, so treat a competition as a season with a dedicated preparation block rather than something you drop into mid-year.
On attacking the lift you are worst at, see training your weakest lift; on how much aerobic work a lifter needs, zone 2 cardio for lifters.
Frequently asked questions
What is Xenom?
A mixed-modality fitness competition billed as the decathlon of fitness, first staged at the Ford Center in Frisco, Texas in 2026. It runs ten events over two days with up to 1,000 points per event, across three divisions of ascending difficulty: Compete, Rx, and Elite.
How is it different from the CrossFit Games or Hyrox?
The CrossFit Games are an elite event where only 60 athletes reach the final stage, while Xenom is designed for mass participation. Unlike Hyrox it demands barbell skill and real strength, and its event list is fixed from stop to stop, so athletes can re-measure themselves on identical tasks.
How much does it cost to enter?
Entry for the London stop in August 2026 is listed at just over $300. That is far more than the $20 basic CrossFit Open registration and somewhat more than a typical Hyrox entry, reflecting the scale and production of a two-day event.
Where does a strength-focused lifter lose points?
They bank points on maximal strength events such as the 1RM snatch and the 5RM, then lose them on aerobic events like the 2K ski plus 3K run, on skill events like muscle-ups and handstand pushups, and wherever event-to-event or day-to-day recovery is required. Because each event is scored separately, a strong event cannot cover those losses.
Will training for a mixed-modality competition lower your muscle index?
It will if you cut big-three volume sharply, because the index is calculated from big-three one-rep maxes. Treat the competition as a season with a defined preparation block and keep strength work above maintenance, and both numbers can be managed together.
Source: Men's Health Fitness