Low body fat and vascularity

yeah, i gotta tell ya when i used to lift seriously way back, veins were the one thing the guys needed before competition. you can only get them to pop with niacin or hard work and low body fat. i always had them when i worked out before and knew back then they were a "prized" possesion and hard won. i think it's a little bit genetic too. not all lifters can get them to pop like us. so you've set me straight. i always thought they were cool too! carbonblob

I think they're just a by-product of the low bodyfat.  I had them during my professional physique transformation career.  At about 10% BF they show up.  I liked them.  I want them back! Sonny

yep, it's the whole body fat thing and exercise that gets them to the surface. however, when i'm cold they aren't as pronounced. acutally the part of their purpose is to carry the blood to the surface to cool your body. cool blood, cool body. so expect them to come back sonny......carbonblob

Hi CB,

I've got people commenting on the veins every day - mostly college age women. (getting me started again) Nobody has said that they are gross yet, but they often say that they've never seen veins like that. They are huge and they sometimes move around, but the girls seem to like them. If I were in the states, wonder if I'd get the same response? I'm getting less and less "thin" and getting more muscle piled up, probably due to higher carb intake, sprinting and just plain deadly workouts with heavy weights.

I've heard that arm veins pop out more with age, but I guess few people have the low bodyfat to show it. Not sure if there's any solution, but maybe like skin, veins get large and "hangy" after a large weight loss (?).

Best Wishes,

Dave

  

yep Dave, i think it's a combo of factors. as we get older our veins pop more plus our skin gets thinner. hence more vein showing. now top that off with low body fat and larger veins from pumping iron and it's no wonder we have snakes on our arms! it's just that this time around they're huge, like you mentioned. hey, i'll take it. people will just have to get used to it. you know when the lifters i used to know who competed would go for vasularity just before show time. they could only hold that look for a few days or worked up to that combo of body fat and vascularity. then right after competition, flat again. you're right though, the older guys always seemed to have larger veins. i'll take em! carbonblob

Hey Blob.... I got veins, and I like them... Funny that you would brind that up today...I just got back from the doc, and we were compairing my old body to my new body, and I comented that I never thought I'd have veins showing...He said that we had our veins stretched out in order to keep out fat body alive, and that when we get thin, the veins do not appear bigger, they are bigger, I  love mine, and I don't plan on hiding them....if someone said anything on my new healthy body was ugly...I would request they smooch me where the sun don;t shine.... I hope the vein thing is not a trent like making me hide their masculinity by trimming their chest hair....and shaving their back.... Ok that vein is now sticking out on my forehead!!!! Russ Tell Gail I said hi

gail says hi and she'll except me veins and all....lol. so that is interesting. our veins do expand when we got big. never knew that. makes sense though. well, it is different, i'll agree with that as far as how they look. when i move my muscles they look like like serpents moving under my skin. i just thought it was comical but i guess it's a gross out to most people. a lady mentioned the other day if it hurt me when they crunch up like that and get all squiggly!!! carbonblob