Noel Clark And Maximum Fitness Consulting’s Theft And Plagiarism Of Lean Bodies Consulting – The Facts

Well, to start, it’s a shame that I have to actually write a blog post like this, but this is certainly not an issue I have had any intentions of taking lying down, and I’m sure once you’re done reading it, you’ll understand why.

First, a little history …

As many know, I have been operating Lean Bodies Consulting for around a decade now and as years have passed, LBC has continued to grow in success and demand. Several years ago, a new competitor reached out to me for coaching; her name was Noel Clark. If I recall correctly, it was before her second show and she reached out prior to her prep week. Her trainer at the time, or whomever was advising her on what to do during her prep week, told her to pretty much eat salmon and flax oil all week. Yikes! I asked her to send me some current pictures, which she did, and to say I was impressed was an understatement. This girl had amazing potential; full muscles, great structure, etc. Noel and I continued on working together for 6 national shows quickly improving over the course of a couple years. She even came close to turning pro one year with a Top 2 at Junior Nationals. I will give credit where credit is due; Noel has tremendous potential as a competitor.

These days the LBC wait list is overwhelmingly large and as such, you’ve seen my recent expansion with the addition of new LBC Coaches. However, I have always ran a wait list, so this new expansion is not my first attempt at it. Over time, I decided to hire Noel Clark to work for Lean Bodies Consulting as a Coach to assist in the waiting list, continue to build the LBC brand, etc. Prior to this, Noel had no training or coaching experience, nor certifications, but having worked closely with me, going through several programs over the couple years of competing, having a desire to break into a career in the industry, and being intelligent, I thought it was a good fit. During Noel’s time with LBC, she went on to acquire both a training certification through the NSCA and a nutrition certification through the ISSN. More importantly, with being brought in under my wing she was taught one-on-one the LBC philosophy as it pertains to diet and exercise. As part of working with LBC clients, Noel would then obviously have access to all things LBC – from the template emails explaining what services LBC offers, the follow up emails, all the documents that are provided with client programs, LBC contracts, etc. Over time however, it became obvious that it was time to go our separate ways and a decision was made for LBC and Noel Clark to severe the relationship. To add additional context to the rest of this blog post, understand that this was by no means an amicable split; it could not have been more opposite. It was not good.

If I recall correctly, two days later Noel Clark had already launched her new online coaching business, Maximum Fitness Consulting (as an aside I’m not sure at this point anyone else was using “Consulting” in their business name prior to LBC). I was admittedly shocked at how fast this business was unveiled; a FB page, logo and a fully functioning website were up in under 48 hours. Seems odd how fast that occurred; so odd that I have logically concluded that all the materials that were needed to still be taken from LBC had been taken before the split. Anyway, I continued on with LBC of course and Noel began to attempt to build her own company, Maximum Fitness Consulting. Coming up on four years later, here we are.

I always suspected that much of my stuff was being used by Noel Clark and Maximum Fitness Consulting, but I never knew for sure and I certainly never knew to the degree I’ve recently discovered. Just this past week, I was contacted by a former client of Noel Clark who is now a client of Curls & Whey Training. Now, as many of you know, Curls & Whey Training is owned and operated by Amy Perez, and is pretty much the “little sister” company to Lean Bodies Consulting; so much so, most link LBC and CWT together. Well, I have mentored Amy into the LBC philosophy for a long time, and continue to do so, helped her launch her coaching company and essentially serve as her unofficial business coach as well. It was my recommendation that CWT used all LBC materials, format, delivery, tools, etc. The only reason I share this is to add context to the receipt of the program of the former MFC client; basically CWT program documents are in some cases the same as LBC’s and in other cases “look” like LBC’s. This is what raised the proverbial red flag for this former MFC, now-turned-CWT client. She thought to herself that the materials, format, everything, looked eerily similar to her CWT program and knowing the CWT affiliation with LBC and Noel Clark’s former employment with LBC, thus LBC programs. What really sold her on things not adding up, was the fact that when she logged into the LBC website (which CWT clients have access to), she noticed that the exclusive LBC exercise demo videos … were identical to the ones on Noel Clark’s Maximum Fitness Consulting website.

So I am looking over this program that this former MFC client received and my mouth just drops. With the exception of the Lean Bodies Consulting header being replaced with Noel’s Maximum Fitness Consulting logo, I would think this came from LBC. The entire format is identical.

Opening paragraph
Weekly set up
Cardio (if any) – word-for-word copy of interval training protocol in this specific example
Supplements
Training Day Nutrition
Off Day Nutrition
Training Guidelines paragraph – replica/cut and paste
Dynamic Warm Up – replica/cut and paste
Lifting Warm Ups – replica/cut and paste
Training Program – format identical
Notes

LBC example

MFC example

Actually, check this out. See that training program right above for the MFC client? Look at this:

You know what that is? That is one of the programs Noel received from LBC on January 31, 2007, that I guess she decided to give to this client. Nothing really wrong with that I guess provided it was applicable. Mind you, Noel is a jacked figure competitor and this client was as 200+ lb female struggling with being overweight.

Everything about the format and delivery of this program looks like it came from LBC. Now the above are printouts of the programs, but clients log in to view them online, like this, and this is now a different client:

As you can see, still the same, with the exception of some green shading and the Maximum Fitness Consulting logo.

Here’s another comparison to a very old program:

So as you know, I posted about this, flabbergasted on the LBC FB page. Well, that prompted other people to contact me after reading that post, former MFC clients that is, and one current at the time. They offered to supply me everything they’d received from Noel Clark as a client for my review. In these additional cases? Same thing. Identical.

These programs were carbon copies of Lean Bodies Consulting – down to even how descriptions of lifting warm up, training guidelines leading into the dynamic work, etc. It’s essentially all the exact same. In fact, anyone would think it came from Lean Bodies Consulting. The General Guidelines document, the old LBC document on mobility warm up descriptions, etc. It’s all identical. The 90% Rule document pulled directly from my blog . The entire programming presentation was identical to the presentation created by Lean Bodies Consulting.

You can see the post here:

https://leanbodiesconsulting.com/the-90-rule

Here is the Lifting Warm Ups section of all LBC programs. This is a comparison to an old program:

Lifting Warm Ups
A warm up serves as a neuromuscular rehearsal of the upcoming lift as well as an opportunity to get your body used to progressively heavier loads. Contrary to how most people warm up (with high reps), the focus should be on low rep warm up sets as the high rep warm ups sets promote too much residual fatigue which can negatively affect strength. You should do a couple light weight (but progressively heavier), low rep warm up sets for the exercises before getting into the work sets.

This is word-for-word identical in the Noel Clark programs.

Here is the write up introducing the dynamic warm ups:

Most people have tight/overactive hip flexors, ITB, biceps femoris, adductors and piriformis muscles and weakened/inhibited hip extensors – the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius and minimus, and possibly medial hamstrings.
We’re going to include some introductory dynamic flexibility work that will be done pre-workout. It will serve to warm you up, as well as improve the active range of motion of the hip muscles. We’ll also be including some glute activation work which will go a long way to helping you with your lower body training and preventing injuries. This should be performed prior to each session. One set of 10-15 reps will do. Resist the urge to skip this stuff.

Outside of my removal of the static stretching mention from more updated programs, identical.

The General Guidelines document is identical, word for word. I could upload that comparison too.

The initial emails providing the Maximum Fitness Consulting coaching information are the same.

The Maximum Fitness Consulting emails providing the process to sign up, with contracts, questionnaire, explanation of PayPal, etc. The only difference is the replacement of Lean Bodies Consulting with Maximum Fitness Consulting; otherwise it is essentially verbatim.

LBC’s introduction/explanation for PayPal billing:

In order to facilitate faster turn around with new programs and updates, Lean Bodies Consulting uses an automated billing system. The system, via PayPal, will automatically charge your PayPal account on a 4-week recurring basis based on the subscriptions you activate within your account. Payments will occur regularly until YOU cancel the subscription set ups. Please note that – I do not cancel subscriptions that you set up in your account; that is something you have to do on your end when our time is completed. You will receive instructions from PayPal on how to cancel your 4-week retainer once you are set up. Please be advised that once a payment comes through, you are committed to another 4-week block.

Thank you and I look forward to working with you.
Erik

MFC’s introduction/explanation for PayPal billing:

In order to facilitate faster turnaround with new programs and updates, Maximum Fitness Consulting has implemented an automated billing system. The system, via Paypal, that will automatically charge your credit card on a 4-week recurring basis. Payments will occur regularly until a cancellation occurs. You will receive instructions from Paypal on how to cancel your monthly retainer once you are set up. Please be advised that once a payment comes through, you are committed to another 4-week block.

Thank you and I look forward to working with you.
Noel Clark

I have screen shots of what everything looks like inside the client section of the Maximum Fitness Consulting website. It is ALL a carbon copy of where it originated – Lean Bodies Consulting.

LBC:

MFC:

Noel Clark also stole the complete exercise video library from the LBC site. Now, back when Noel worked for Lean Bodies Consulting, I started to create this exercise library and Noel Clark was the athlete used in the videos. However, they are the property of Lean Bodies Consulting. A portion of them were bought and paid for by LBC, of which there is an invoice, the rest filmed by me personally. There is only one person that could have done this for MFC, upon Noel Clark’s personal request to do so. And these had to be taken before the LBC/Noel Clark split and her launch of Maximum Fitness Consulting. Crafty planning.

Again, just to reiterate, the professional split was not in any way amicable, so to think Noel Clark and MFC would have free reign, right and permission to steal essentially every systematic step in the LBC process is preposterous.

Everything MFC provides clients is a carbon copy of LBC material.

Looking at the programs, there is nothing different or unique. Look at the side-by-side screen shot of everything.

And this has been happening for nearly four years now.

Then I am sent the contracts Maximum Fitness Consulting uses. I’m looking at all these in disbelief … but they’re mine. They are word-for-word Lean Bodies Consulting legal documents that were drawn up for LBC specifically (3 of them) with the lone edits being exchanging Lean Bodies Consulting for Maximum Fitness Consulting as well as the contact mailing address. That is IT! Verbatim cut and paste.

LBC Contract (this now has one addition that was not included back then):

MFC Contract:

LBC Liability Waiver:

MFC Liability Waiver:

LBC NDA:

MFC NDA:

These were also not given to Noel Clark. She was not given permission to take any of the LBC material, legal documentation, etc., nor did she request to.

Every single aspect of Noel Clark and the Maximum Fitness Consulting system is a direct replica of what was created by myself and Lean Bodies Consulting. Every aspect. Then you get down to the biweekly tracking format, heck it even asks the same questions, word for word, meal reporting (images posted earlier), and again, the LBC exercise video library.

It is not as if people Noel Clark works with know where her roots came from (unless of course they were around back in those times) – myself and LBC. Noel in fact goes out of her way to ensure no one knows or associates her having learned from myself and LBC, and yet everything about MFC has originated with LBC.

Case in point:

//siouxcountry.com/showpost.php?p=516883&postcount=420

Like I said, Noel goes out of her way to ensure that no credit is given to LBC, but rather given to all sorts of other industry people. And hey, that’s fine, comical, but fine. But if you’re going to sell that line, then it might be prudent to not carbon copy everything LBC does in many cases word-for-plagiarized word.

These are the facts. I had held off on writing this right away as I wanted to let my emotions settle and write only objectively and factually. For me? Yes, I’m very upset that everything that I created in LBC and for LBC has been stolen, plagiarized and passed off as the work and design of Noel for the last four years. Yes, I want everything used that is identical or uncomfortably similar to be taken down and no longer used. Yes I want the LBC video database to be where it belongs and nowhere else. I am posting this for justice to be served and awareness. You can’t do this stuff and justify yourself into thinking it’s ok. There is a reason why all the comments on FB can be summarized as to concluding that these actions are ethically reprehensible and seriously lacking in professional integrity.

You can all draw your own conclusions after reading all of the above. None of this blog post has anything to do with the coaching abilities of Noel Clark – I can’t speak to that and therefore I won’t. Ironically, I haven’t heard from Noel Clark in nearly four years, and just yesterday received an email regarding this exact subject (and keep in mind her name hadn’t even been mentioned publicly as of yesterday so … ) in which she acknowledges and justifies her use of all of these LBC materials, without so much as a single acknowledgement of wrong doing or apology.

So there you have it. You can draw your own conclusions as to the professional integrity, or lack thereof being displayed here for the last four years. There is nothing justifiable or honourable about plagiarism and theft.

Any commentary will remain here, not on the LBC FB page. That said, if you want to share it on FB, well, that’s up to you. I personally would appreciate awareness being spread. There is a share button at the bottom.

Erik