he isnt ripped, he isnt jacked, and all the poeple he "works with" were already ripped and jacked before they started "working with him".
noel doesnt know shit. he can post pictures all day long and it doesnt change a damn thing.
I do not know how much experience you have being around bodybuilders come show time, but they are usually a wreck. It's impossible to diet perfectly and train and tan let alone worry about whether some fat is coming off a trouble spot or not. If things go south, and you are mentally exhausted what are you going to do? I have known plenty of prep guys over the years. Noel does what all the others do- fulfill a need for people to always get a second opinion and some assurance that things will work.
Most of the time when a guy or girl wants to do a bodybuilding or figure show they have almost no one they can talk to about it. Friends/family are no help.
So when you need diet advice or second opinions, in particular if you are not sure of yourself, a trainer can be invaluable. ESPECIALLY as the show gets closer.
Any drug knowledge he has is probably incidental to his job. Doubt he knows anything groundbreaking, but he's an industry insider so he knows EXACTLY what matters most- what the people winning shows are doing. Thats really about it.
What do you think his clients ask him? The half lives of Phenyl-propionate vs Decanoate with regard to anabolic activity? Fuck no! They just care about what will get them to winning a show, and he can deliver the info and along with having a good amount of experience writing diets the guy definitely has worth to a smallish group of people.
Also (and I have said this many, many times) WHAT YOU LOOK LIKE MEANS NOTHING WITH REGARD TO WHAT YOU KNOW!!!! If it did pros would be teaching their coaches and not the other way around!