ya, we have had a similar discussion on this before, and i did listen. what you described in your last paragraph isn't a hardcore lifter, that's just a badass. hardcore speaks of your dedication to the sport (and that applies to any sport and the level of commitment you bring to it), your lack of deviation from your meals, your all out intensity in the gym, that's what hardcore is.
did i say using a bunch of lifting equipment made you hardcore? i must have missed that. but someone who dedicates their time and commitment to achieving a physical goal no matter what the time, effort, or cost is hardcore. and you can find the abundance of these people at your local gym! you just have to sort through the posers.
and one more thing. ya, the ficticious gym these ads allude to are deceitful. know why? it's because most gyms like them have gone under. there's not enough "hardcore" people out there to make them profitable. so instead i and many others have to train alongside annoying people who take up the equipment you need to accomplish their non existent goals while being asked at the same time "how much do you bench?" you think the abundance of bber's like that? please. if more gyms like the one in the ad existed, you can sure as hell bet who they'd be filled up with.
