XENOM: What It Was Like To Compete In The First Ever Event

I've had a bit of time to sit with it now, and I wanted to put down a few thoughts on XENOM, because being part of the very first one of something is pretty special, and I genuinely reckon this one has real legs. For me, it's the perfect mix of a local competition feel with a lot of the features you'd normally only get at an international comp. The format and style of events are honestly something I wish had come along a bit earlier in my career, because there are a lot of workouts in there that suit me down to the ground, and I feel like I've still got plenty of good ones left in me.

How it came together

Originally I was going to do it individually because I wanted to give it a proper nudge and see where I stacked up. After we qualified as a team for the CrossFit Games, we decided it could be a really good training run for the crew, with Jake and myself going in together and Maisie and Georgia taking on the girls' field. A few weeks before the comp, Jake picked up a niggle in his back, so it was looking like I was going back to individual again until my man Adam Klink answered the call. Adam is a true CrossFit OG and one of my favourite athletes and humans going around, so getting to share the floor with him for the first-ever XENOM was a massive bonus.

Ten events over two days, and nowhere to hide.

So we did the thing, and it was so much fun but completely brutal at the same time. Ten events over two days is not for the faint-hearted; it's a comp where you have to be willing to do hard things, and you really do need that dog in you to keep competing all weekend. Most people are going to have some home runs and some not-so-good workouts across the ten tests, and I reckon the biggest thing is continuing to show up and execute your game plan no matter how the last one went. We got there in the end and finished 3rd overall, which I'm absolutely stoked with, and we had a blast doing it.

In my opinion, the hardest event of the weekend was Event 005; it's a 2km ski and 3km run, but funnily enough it was also my favourite. We finished 3rd in that one, and I was super proud of it, because Adam is a much better runner than me, and I knew I had to really hold my end up, so to overperform and finish it alongside him, knowing I'd pulled my weight, was a really proud moment for me. There were a few other notable mentions too, with Event 003, the max cal echo being one where you have to be willing to suffer and go deep and dark to do well, Event 008 being a case of how close you can fly to the sun because there are SO MANY BURPEES, and Event 010 coming down to knowing yourself and your gymnastics capacity right at the back end of the weekend. I also really enjoyed the clean ladder, which is one of those events where there's not much to overthink, and you can just let the dog out and see where you land.

What the HWPO XENOM PREP track is built on

In the lead-up, I documented my training the whole way through while also programming for some of our athletes who were getting ready to compete, so I was living it from both sides, and that training log became the foundation for the HWPO XENOM PREP track I've built. Having been through it myself, I knew the hardest part isn't any one event on its own; it's being able to capitalize on each test while still having enough left in the tank to be SHOWING UP at Event 010 willing to work, so that's exactly how I've laid the track out. It mixes intensity and volume so there's enough in there to have you ready to compete across all ten tests, but not so much that you're burnt out before you even get to the floor.

There's a heavy focus on the actual XENOM tests the whole way through. Week 1 is a test week where you get your scores on the board, and every week after that uses those scores to drive progressions that build your competence, confidence, and capacity in each specific test, so by the time comp weekend rolls around you've already had real exposure to the things that will hurt, whether that's going deep and dark on the echo, getting through the burpee volume, or knowing exactly where your gymnastics sits when you're fatigued. There's a mix of single session and double session days as well, so you get used to backing up and going again, which is exactly what the weekend asks of you.

The track is for anyone wanting to jump in the arena and have a dig, whether it's your first comp or you've been around a while, and the training is really well-rounded so there's something in there for everyone.

What I would say to anyone stepping out to XENOM for the first time

If you're getting ready for your first XENOM, my biggest advice would be to do the training so you SHOW UP prepared for every test, and then have a proper hydration and fueling plan sorted for the comp weekend. Staying on top of hydration and getting plenty of carbs in made a massive difference for us, and I can't stress enough how much those two things will help you keep turning up event after event. Go in with a game plan for each event, know your gymnastics capacity, be willing to go to the dark place when it counts, and if one doesn't go your way, just reset and attack the next one.

Overall, this event was legit, and I would 100% do another one. If you're in the CrossFit space and you want to truly test your fitness, this is exactly the type of event you should be having a crack at. Big thanks to Adam for stepping up, to Maisie and Georgia for getting after it in the girls' field, and to everyone who put the first XENOM together. I'll definitely see you at another one.