but you have to be selective. bruce lee was not a sprinter. the hips are every bit of a part of the core as the abdominals are. Hips/low back/every layer of the abdominals/shoulders are all intricately involved in sprinting. (As are many other muscles that also need to be adressed in training)
It would be foolish to neglect training the core muscles. But, RaceRadio, i am confused at what you consider “core”. I feel like you are calling “core” just the abdominals and low back.
Like others have said, those areas definitely need to be adressed, but be careful with exercise selection. A sit up is an abdominal lift. As is a hanging leg raise or a crunch or a V-up or planche push ups. But what about maximal ab strength? Like a squat or deadlift? Or hip stability training? Or hip explosiveness … training with plyometrics?
I would consider all of that core training. Much more than developing the muscles of the abdomen.