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Welcome to the Carbon Newsletter!
This update keeps you informed about the latest happenings at the gym and provides insights to help you build a high-performing, healthy lifestyle.
Today at a Glance
- The Unnamed Hours: Why the work no one sees is the work that matters most.
- Meet the Team: A look at the experts driving our coaching philosophy.
- Carbon Services: An overview of our PT, Small Group, and Nutrition pathways.
- Member Perk: Save 15% on your Thorne supplement order.
The Unnamed Hours
The biggest lesson I've learned from being around high performers isn't about talent, motivation, or the perfect program.
It's about the unnamed hours.
Years ago, I was working with the Atlanta Hawks' support staff. After one of the games, courtside, there was a lounge and bar area that turned into what you'd expect—music, food, celebrities, NFL players, and executives.
Everyone was relaxing after the game.
I was leaving with the team's physical therapist when we happened to walk through the training area.
One player was back in the gym.
Lifting by himself after the game.
As we walked by, we exchanged a silent nod.
Then I asked, "How often does he do that?"
My friend responded as if it were an obvious answer.
"After every game."
That wasn't part of practice. It wasn't required. There weren't cameras around. Nobody was posting it online. Nobody was applauding him.
Those were the unnamed hours. The ones no one would ever know about.
Oddly enough, it reminded me of farming in Kansas.
Before harvest, the work didn't stop at the end of the day. That's when another kind of work began.
We'd spend hours checking equipment, replacing worn parts, greasing bearings, fixing the things that nobody would ever notice if they worked—but everyone would notice if they failed.
Those hours determined the harvest.
The more I've coached, the more I've realized that almost everyone wants the visible part of success.
They want the hard workouts.
The PR.
The before-and-after picture.
The perfect program or diet.
But very few people fall in love with the unnamed hours.
The walk when nobody feels like getting outside.
Going to bed on time.
Preparing tomorrow's meals.
Showing up at the gym before work when nothing feels exciting anymore.
Coming back after a bad week instead of deciding you've failed.
Those hours don't look impressive.
They don't make good social media posts.
They're repetitive.
And man, are they boring.
But that’s where almost everything meaningful happens.
Every January, we watch people flood into the gym. They're excited. They're motivated, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that.
The question isn't how you start. The question is who you are when the excitement disappears.
Because it does.
Life gets busy. Work gets stressful. Kids get sick. Vacations happen. Motivation fades.
The people who keep changing aren't the ones who somehow stay motivated.
They're the ones who build their lives around the unnamed hours.
They stopped relying on emotion and started relying on consistency.
Most people dramatically overestimate what they can accomplish in twelve weeks.
And dramatically underestimate what they can accomplish in six months of quietly doing the work.
Not crushing themselves.
Not being perfect.
Just coming back.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Eventually, something interesting happens.
From the outside, people think you've changed overnight.
But it wasn't overnight.
It was the unnamed hours stacked together until they became your identity.
That's the kind of change that lasts.
That's what we're trying to build.
Not people chasing the fitness fads.
Not people looking for another shortcut.
People who understand that lasting change is rarely dramatic.
It's built in the unnamed hours
Meet the Team
Brandon Sherwood
Brandon was born and raised in Southern California, where he was deeply immersed in martial arts and physical culture — he spent most of his childhood and teen years on a mat or in a gym.
He later attended Texas A&M University, where he earned a degree in Economics with Latin Honors. During his time there, he was a member of the Corps of Cadets and competed at a national level in practical shooting.
Brandon has worked with highly diverse clients, ranging from children to Master's athletes. He has significant experience coaching military personnel, first responders, executives, and others in high-demand professions.
He’s the Director of Performance at Carbon Research and Development, a project dedicated to exploring and validating human performance concepts. Carbon R&D aims to confront the superficiality that has come to be associated with “fitness” — blending the science of human performance with the art of raw effort, for the sake of whole-person development.
Brandon is passionate about physical training, as a means of developing personal agency, self-knowledge, and freedom; he values compassion, discipline, and honesty. He has a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, has wrestled for over a decade, and actively trains in Muay Thai, Kali, Silat, and Wing Chun. He enjoys reading and writing about philosophy, theology, and myth.
He holds a number of coaching credentials, including Starting Strength Coach and USA Weightlifting Level 2 Coach.
Zach Osburn
Zach got into this because fitness changes people beyond just the physical. It builds discipline, teaches you how to work, and has a way of helping you figure out who you are. You can't buy it, outsource it, or shortcut it. You have to earn it.
He grew up around sports, physical therapy, and fitness. In college, he started his training career at the rec center, running classes and one-on-one sessions. Giving people the tools to experience what fitness had given him was the most rewarding work he'd ever done. He graduated with an Accounting degree, spent a year in auditing, and knew it wasn't the right path. He went back to school for Health and Wellness and landed a job running the wellness program in the physical therapy office he shadowed in high school. After graduating, he moved to Round Rock, became head trainer and top earner at Crunch, then opened Complete Health and Wellness at 2100 Double Creek.
Fitness has always given him a real edge in everything he's tried outside the gym. That's still how he thinks about training: it's not just about how you look, but what you're capable of doing and how you feel doing it.
He starts every client relationship with a direct conversation about where you are, where you want to go, and what it's actually going to take. He won't let you off the hook, but he won't set you up for something you're not ready for either.
Outside the gym, he's a father and a partner. The same reason he stays in shape is the same reason he pushes his clients.
Treat your health like the rest of your life depends on it.
Brianna Larson
As the Director of Operations and Nutrition at Carbon Training Centre, Brianna Larson brings a blend of leadership, strategy, and coaching to the client experience. She works with a wide range of high performers—from busy professionals to athletes—to help them move better, feel stronger, and fuel their bodies without extremes.
Brianna’s coaching philosophy is rooted in education and long-term sustainability. Whether she is guiding someone through a reverse diet, optimizing nutrition for performance, or helping a client rebuild habits after burnout, she meets each individual where they are and builds from there.
Behind the scenes, she keeps the Carbon engine running—leading team operations, refining systems, and ensuring the highest level of client care.
She is a firm believer in quality over quantity, and she brings that standard to every aspect of the Carbon Training Centre experience.
Aaron Davis
Raised in Kansas, Aaron competed as a national-level runner from age 11 to 21. That decade of elite competition was an apprenticeship, offering rare access to the world’s best coaches, therapists, and physiologists. Those mentors became the blueprint for his career in the coaching field.
He graduated from Fort Hays State University with a degree in Health and Human Performance, then served as an assistant coach at FHSU before becoming the head coach at Bethany College. A move to Austin in 2011 launched a performance program at CrossFit Austin, which served as the foundation for his first company, Train Adapt Evolve. That operation transitioned into Evolve and, ultimately, into the current Carbon Training Centre. He built Carbon to be a one-stop shop for human performance, replicating the holistic, integrated support system he experienced as an athlete, where coaches, therapists, and physiologists work in unison.
His mission has always been to find the intersection of biophysics, adaptation, and performance. That work has found a parallel path from elite performance optimization to clinical health, including years spent working with long-COVID and cancer patients to optimize physiological function.
Athletic History
- 4x NCAA DII All-American
- 12x Conference Titles
- 1x NCAA DII Cross Country Team National Championship
- 5th Place, USA Junior 800m
Coaching Results
- 1 Collegiate National Champion
- 6 Collegiate All-Americans
- 2 State Cross Country Champions
- Team USA Biathlon World Championship Qualifier
- Team USA Bobsled Athlete
- Team USA Junior 800m Athlete (3rd Place, World Championship)
- USA Olympic Trials Track and Field Qualifier (800m)
Consulting & Advisory
- Special Operations (Human Performance): Air Force Special Operations (48th Rescue Squadron), Naval Special Warfare Group 1, CANSOFCOM.
- Professional Sports: Memphis Grizzlies, Atlanta Hawks, Green Bay Packers, Arsenal FC, Crystal Palace FC, Chicago Blackhawks, Arizona Coyotes, Las Vegas Knights, LA Dodgers, Atlanta Braves, Milwaukee Brewers, Harvard Track and Field.
- Innovation & Industry: Moxy Monitors, Omegawave, Nike Innovation Kitchen (Track and Field Spike Design).
Carbon Services
Personal Training: We offer precision-focused 1-on-1 coaching for those who need direct oversight and accountability. Booking links below.
Small Group Training: We are currently gauging interest for our Small Group cohorts to ensure quality and scheduling efficiency. If you are interested in joining, please complete our brief assessment so we can find the right fit for you.
Nutrition & Health Consulting Optimization is not one-size-fits-all. For our comprehensive nutrition and health protocols, we prefer a brief initial conversation to ensure we set you up for success.
- 1-Time Macro Calculation: A personalized, data-backed plan including a 20-minute strategy call.
- Nutrition & Health Consulting: For those looking for long-term guidance, bloodwork interpretation, or personalized health coaching, let’s connect. We’ll discuss your specific goals and build a custom protocol. Please email Hello@carbontc.co.
Thorne Supplement Discount
To ensure you have access to the highest-quality fuel and recovery tools, we have partnered with Thorne to offer our members a permanent 15% discount on all products.
How to access your discount:
- Check your inbox: The activation email from Thorne has already been sent to the address you used to create your Carbon Training Centre account.
- Check your folders: If you don't see it, please check your spam or promotions folders.
- Troubleshooting: If you cannot locate the email, please reach out to us directly at Hello@carbontc.co so we can verify your account details and ensure you receive your access link.
Be well,
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