Our Story

Owner - Dylan Thielen offers a picture of his broad training background in various sports, and shares what Horizon is all about.

“ Growing up I was a kid who didn’t really feel like he fit in. While I played seven different sports growing up (Football, Basketball, Wrestling, Track & Field, Golf, Soccer and Baseball) I never really felt like I belonged. Starting in middle school I got bullied for my weight, I was roughly 170lbs-175lbs from 5th grade until my senior year of High School. While I certainly wasn’t severely overweight, I began to see myself that way due to the how my peers made me feel, and this is where the body dysmorphia and poor relationship with food began.

As I got into high school and began to lose the “baby fat” of sorts, and began to put on some muscle, I still got teased for my appearance in some fashion on a regular basis. I still remember finding “Thielen is Fat” etched into a desk in the science classroom on the 2nd floor of EGHS during my junior year. I was getting made fun of for my horrendous acne my entire sophomore year to the point where I considered transferring schools. I had a horrible self image and felt like there was so many things wrong with me. I never really fought back, I just accepted what they said as truth. I didn’t see the gym at this point as anything other than something I HAD to do. I didn’t necessarily look forward to it but I didn’t hate it, it was just part of sports.

During my senior year I went through a few injuries in football that cut my season short, had a long and tough basketball season, then went through a breakup with my girlfriend of 2+ years that spring. These were the things that really lit the initial fire in me to pursue something in the weight room beyond just showing up and going through the motions. After baseball ended and I was officially done with sports, the gym became my second home. I found solitude and happiness in the weights. Being able to work directly on the things that I didn’t like about myself became addicting. I began lifting 6-7x a week, running whatever program I could find on Bodybuilding.com that promised the most size, strength, and possible!

When I went off to college at the University of Northern Iowa, the weight room continued to stay a staple in my routine, never missing a session and beginning to learn more about nutrition. I lifted with Landon, a kid on my floor in the dorms that I had met at orientation, he was much more into the nutrition and bodybuilding side of things, where I was still figuring out what exactly I wanted to do in the gym. Landon showed me the ropes on nutrition and tracking macros (we both had spreadsheets we tracked everything in) and I began to see the results I had been wanting. Over the next couple years I got more into bodybuilding as well as getting stronger on the squat, bench, and deadlift specifically. While I always enjoyed chasing “the pump,” adding more weight to the bar was always far more exciting for me.

The summer after my Freshman year I had the conversation that truly set me down the path to starting Horizon Strength. I was talking with my Regional Manager for Fareway when I was back in Eagle Grove for the summer coaching baseball and working on summer classes online. At the time I was pursuing a degree in Business Management, and planned on going into the management program with the Fareway Meat Department after school. After finding out what my degree would be in and what my plan was he told me to change my degree, to which I obviously responded with “why?” He told me that I didn’t need a business degree to be a good manager, I needed to be able to learn and adapt to my environment, not just repeat information I learned in school. He urged me to get a degree in something I enjoyed, because at the end of the day he wanted me to end up happy. He openly said that he would rather see me pursue my dreams some day and lose a great employee, than see a great employee turn into a sad manager because I didn’t pursue my dreams. That was the turning point. I went back to UNI that Fall and changed my major to Exercise Science.

While I was at UNI, I competed in a few mock powerlifting meets that the school held, and caught the bug instantly. I loved the culmination of my hard work being put to the test, and getting to compete alongside my friends was a huge bonus. After those meets I did my first bodybuilding show where I placed 1st in the Novice Class and 2nd in the Open Class for Classic Physique. Coming up short of my Pro Card by placing 2nd was tough, especially after losing nearly 35lbs in 6 months for the show! After this, the negative relationship with food I had developed over my childhood and throughout prep came back to bite me in the ass. I went from 180lbs before the show, to 200lbs in a week. I ate everything I could, and watched all my hard work fade away in front of my eyes. I struggled and fell off because I didn’t have guidance or structure to beat those habits. I sought comfort in food and viewed it as something that would make me feel better, while it did the exact opposite. Unfortunately, I didn’t have someone telling me right from wrong in this brand new stage of life. I needed someone to help me weed out the BS and show me the way!

About this time I had began training clients at the local gym I was working at, I quickly realized I loved training/coaching and helping them learn the errors of their ways that were holding them back. It was amazing the change that was made in these people’s lives by showing them how not repeat the same mistakes myself and so many other people I knew made throughout their health and fitness journey! I knew I had found my calling. I moved to Ankeny in April of 2018 and began working at a commercial gym in town, quickly realizing I had a knack for this. My clientele grew fast and I was working 40+ sessions a week within a month of starting, something quite uncommon for many beginning trainers! While this was a great opportunity, it quickly began to turn training into a JOB instead of my CAREER and what I loved to do. The corporate pressure and differing opinions began to be too much, and in September 2019, I parted ways with the company.

I was faced with a choice, find another gym where I could do things the way I wanted to, or get a 9-5 office job. I decided enough was enough, I had enough of doing things the way that other people thought they should be done. I had enough of living by other people’s rules and dictating my life around a job that would run the same whether I was there or not! This was the moment I decided starting my own business was the only way to go. After thinking about what I wanted my brand to encompass, I thought about what changed my life and what helped me reach my goals time after time, and I landed on Horizon Strength. The name Horizon Strength comes from the idea of taking advantage of every new horizon, and making the most of it. Whether it be the horizon of a new day, a new job, a new relationship, or a new lifestyle, it’s having the strength to give each new opportunity your all, despite the fear and doubts you may have. Horizon is about looking your fears and weaknesses in the eye, and attacking them head on with unwavering confidence in your ability to accomplish your goals. At that point, I put everything I had into getting the brand started and becoming self employed. I worked multiple part-time jobs, I saved everything I could, and I didn’t stop believing in what this brand could accomplish.

I started Horizon Strength in January 2020 to help others find their inner strength through the weight room, just like I did. So many of us focus on what our outward appearance is like, and place on value on that, instead of valuing the amazing abilities we all possess. I want to help as many people as possible learn to be confident in their abilities, educate them on proper technique, and build the body/lifestyle they have always wanted. We work together to find a system that works for you and your strengths, as well as improving weaknesses to help make your strengths even stronger! I strive to educate you on the “how and why", thus giving you the tools to maintain your progress for years to come! At the end of the day, my goal is to help you reach your goals and become confident in yourself as a person and a lifter.