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Whenever we want to build general muscle, we do at least 6 reps and at most 12 reps on like 3 sets, then why does abs workouts tends to be conducted to fatigue? (I mean 20 to 50 reps on 5 sets)
Isn't it faster to achieve failure when we are working our core with few reps and sets?
Many people erroneously feel that most abs exercises are cardio exercises. As a result, they try to perform as many reps in as short a time frame as possible.
First, because the abdominal muscles perform many functions,they're capable of being stressed longer than most muscles. As a result, the burn isn't usually felt until after a lot of repetitions.
Abs exercises should be performed in a slow, methodical fashion; there should be a pause at the top and bottom of the movement. Equally important, the exercise must target the specific muscles being exercised.
When performed with these considerations, "the burn" will be felt in as low reps as between 10 and 15.
No one single abs exercise target every part of the abdominal muscles; you'll need to perform different exercises that target each segment of the abdominal muscles.
Without a low body fat percentage, abs exercises don't mean squat aesthetically. The muscles might be strong and puffy; however, without a low body fat percentage, you won't be able to show them off (this could be one of the reasons people use abs exercises as cardio).
Aside from having a lower potential for overall muscle growth, the abdominals are much like any other muscle group. In other words, it is up to the user on how many reps they use; though some exercises tend to work better with fewer reps (weighted exercise for example) while some tend to align with higher reps or time (purely body weight exercises).
The reason that it's common to see many using higher rep schemes with ab exercises is the misconception that ab exercises themselves are responsible for defining one's abs. Simply put, many believe that performing higher reps will get them shredded.
That being said, performing higher rep ab exercises isn't necessarily a bad thing. The core (and the abs by extension) play a large role in stabilizing the upper torso during movement. A certain degree of muscular endurance is required of the muscles in the core for it to perform its job well enough to prevent injury. How much is required depends on the level and type of activity the person in question is generally involved in.
Ab exercises themselves are very complex. They have been advertised to build shredded abs, which they do, but the problem is they DON'T BUILD STRONG ABS. Any exercise that has you doing high repetitions is endurance training, with not as much muscle growth. The reason that they build shredded abs is because most people get on a plan that has them doing enough to define their abs, but not enough to strengthen them. If you actually want to strengthen abdominal muscles, you should perform deadlifts, squats, and exercises that use weights while still activating them as a primary muscle used. Almost all exercises targeted directly for abdominals are bodyweight exercises, which usually are other forms of endurance training, the exceptions usually revolving around pull ups and dips.
