“Everything works when we do.” — Maya Angelou

Picture two scenes.

It’s been a busy week. A full book. Back-to-back appointments. A couple of skipped lunch breaks. It’s Saturday evening, and you’re due to head out for a friend’s birthday.

Scenario one:

You’re exhausted. Your lower back aches, your shoulders are tight, and that yoga class or gym session has been pushed down the road again. If you’re honest with yourself, you haven’t been following the same advice you regularly give to clients about looking after themselves.

You go to the party. It’s enjoyable, but the tiredness and the nagging pain take the edge off. Before long, you make your excuses and head home early.

Scenario two:

You’re still tired—but it’s a different kind of tired. The good kind. The kind that comes from effort and fulfilment. You’ve been consistent with your training. You feel strong, mobile, and capable. Your diet has been mostly on point.

It’s been a busy week, but your body has taken it in stride. You walk the walk as well as talk the talk.

Your clients notice it. Your friends notice it too, as you bring real energy to the party that night.

Your number one tool as a barber or hairstylist isn’t your scissors, clippers, or comb.

It’s your body.

If you don’t work well, no tool ever will.

Looking after your health and fitness isn’t a luxury in this industry—it’s a necessity. Strength, flexibility, and cardiovascular fitness are the foundations that support long days behind the chair. They’re what give you enough energy left in the tank to enjoy life outside the shop.

Fitness is often portrayed as purely aesthetic—how someone looks. But real fitness is about capacity.

It’s about being able to do what you need to do, when you need to do it, and still have something in reserve when life throws a curveball.

For barbers and hairstylists, fitness isn’t optional. It’s a tool for career longevity.

1. Cardiovascular Fitness

Oxygen is the most essential element for human life. Skip a meal—you’ll survive. Go a bit thirsty—you’ll manage. Run out of oxygen? Good luck. Cardiovascular fitness supports long days on your feet and slows the buildup of fatigue.

2. Strength

In the salon, strength shows up as strength endurance—the ability to exert force repeatedly over long periods. Improved strength leads to more efficient movement and less wasted energy throughout the day.

3. Flexibility

When a joint can’t move properly, another must compensate. Over time, this increases strain and injury risk. Given the thousands of repetitive movements behind the chair, flexibility is protective, not optional.

4. Mental Health

Movement releases chemicals that improve mood and reduce stress. After decades in the barbershop, I’ve learned that no matter the day, I always feel better after moving my body.

5. Confidence

Confidence is built through small victories. Each workout or walk is a vote for the person you want to become. That confidence shows up in how you work, how you stand, and how others experience you.

Fitness can be a powerful tool for taking your craft—and your career—to the next level. With consistent effort, the benefits add up quickly and are noticed by others.

Beyond the Second Knuckle exists to explore what it really takes to build a sustainable, fulfilling life in the trade.

Fitness and mobility are a big part of that, but they’re not the whole picture. This is a space for sharing experience, asking better questions, and learning the things that don’t get taught early on—so the work can support your life, rather than slowly shrinking it.