The 2025 Holiday Bridge: Stay Ready, Enjoy the Season, and Crush 2026

Sean Orlando • December 4, 2025

December is not the month to set PRs. It’s the month to make sure you don’t have to start over in January.


Look, we all know how this usually goes: parties, travel, family obligations, and suddenly it’s January 3rd and you’re sore from carrying luggage, not from deadlifts.


This year we’re doing it different. We’re treating December like a bridge — not a blackout period where fitness goes to die.


The “Bridge Month” Concept

December is the connector between the athlete you became in 2025 and the absolute savage you’re going to be in 2026.


The mission is simple: don’t lose ground. That’s it.


We’re not chasing new PRs. We’re not grinding two-a-days. We’re protecting the muscle, the engine, and the habits we worked to develop all year. If you just maintain right now, you’ll hit the ground running in January while everyone else is detoxing and “easing back in.”


That’s the cheat code.


The 3 Non-Negotiables

(Screenshot this. Make it your phone background. Tattoo it on your forearm if you’re dramatic.)


Every single day — no matter if you’re at the in-laws, in a hotel, or hiding in the bathroom from your relatives — you do these three things:

  • 5–20 minutes of movement (any movement)
  • 30 extra grams of protein after big meals + one extra liter of water
  • 5–10 minutes of mobility or breathwork before bed


That’s the entire game plan. Three checkboxes. Do them daily and you’ll actually be ahead when January hits.

Holiday Movement Strategies That Actually Work

Forget trying to find a gym while traveling or squeezing in full workouts between meals. That’s a recipe for burnout and resentment.


Instead, play the long game with these proven moves:

  • 10-minute rule: Whenever you have a spare 10 minutes (waiting for the turkey, kids napping, commercial breaks), bang out push-ups, air squats, burpees, or planks. No structure, just move until you’re breathing hard. Do it 2–3 times a day and you’re golden.
  • Walk like you mean it: Every party, every mall trip, every airport layover — park far away, take the long route, walk the neighborhood after dinner. 15–20 minutes of brisk walking counts as your movement for the day. Bonus: it keeps you from murdering relatives.
  • Family infiltration: Turn mandatory family time into movement. Organize a post-meal walk, backyard football, dance-off in the living room, or snowball fight. Kids love it, parents think you’re being “festive,” and you just got your 20 minutes in.
  • Hotel room hacks: Bodyweight is king. Set a timer for 15 minutes and just rotate between push-ups, squats, lunges, mountain climbers, and burpees. No equipment, no noise complaints, no excuses.


Nutrition Control That Doesn’t Suck the Joy Out of the Season

We’re not doing food guilt. We’re not tracking macros on Christmas. We’re adults.


Here’s the real talk strategy:

  • Protein + water = your seatbelt: After every big meal or night out, slam 30g protein (shake, Greek yogurt, turkey roll-ups, whatever’s easiest) and an extra liter of water. It’s not about perfection — it’s about blunting the damage.
  • The 90/10 rule: 90% of the time eat like the athlete you are. The other 10% is for your mom’s cookies, eggnog, and that second helping of gravy. No guilt. Just don’t let the 10% become 70%.
  • Pre-game and post-game: Eat protein and veggies before parties so you’re not ravenous and inhaling apps. After indulging, get right back to normal the next meal. No “I already blew it” spiral.
  • Keep one anchor meal: Pick breakfast or lunch as your “normal” meal every day — high protein, veggies, good fats. The rest of the day can be holiday chaos, but that one meal keeps you sane and satiated.


Recovery & Mobility: The Secret Weapon Everyone Ignores

This is where the real magic happens. Most people completely ditch recovery in December and pay for it in January with tight hips, cranky shoulders, and zero energy.


Do this instead:

  • 5–10 minutes every night: Couch stretch, pigeon pose, thoracic opener on a foam roller (or rolled-up towel), shoulder CARs, deep breathing. Takes less time than scrolling TikTok and you’ll wake up feeling human.
  • Morning rescue ritual: First thing when you wake up (especially after travel or parties): 2 minutes cat-cow, 2 minutes world’s greatest stretch each side, 2 minutes deep squat hold. Fixes everything a night of drinking and airplane seats destroyed.
  • Sleep > everything: Guard your bedtime like it’s your PR snatch. Blackout curtains, no screens an hour before bed, magnesium if you’ve got it. The member who sleeps 8 hours in December crushes the one who “powers through” on 5.


2026 Kickstart System

Right now, do one thing: pick ONE goal for Q1 2026. Just one. Make it specific, make it scary, make it public.

Drop it in the comments below.


(Examples: “Sub-4 Fran” / “Strict pull-ups” / “150# clean & jerk” / “Murph under 50 minutes unpartitioned”)


Say it out loud. We’re holding you to it.


The members who treat December as a bridge instead of a break are the ones hitting PRs in February while everyone else is still trying to remember how to breathe during Cindy.


This community doesn’t do “New Year, New Me.”


We do “Same Me, Slightly Festive, Still Consistent.”


Tag the friend who always ghosts in December and tell them we’re saving them a rig.


Let’s go.