3-4% body fat: Ridiculously lean. Many bodybuilders drop to a body fat percentage of about 3-4% when they are preparing for competitions. At this level of body fat, the muscles, veins, and striations (the rod looking stripes on a muscle) are very visible.
Vascularity refers to highly visible and prominent veins that appear to 'pop out' from the skin. The skin can look thinner, and as though it is wrapped tightly around the veins. Vascularity is the result of low levels of fat and high muscle pressure. It is common among bodybuilders and men who work out at high levels.
Reduce overall body fat
Your veins will be more prominent if you have less body fat under your skin covering your muscles. Reduce body fat by upping your cardio and lowering your caloric intake to lose excess weight.
Vascularity is enhanced by extremely low body fat (usually below 10%) and low retained water, as well as the muscle engorgement ("pump") and venous distension accentuated by the vigorous flexing and potentially hazardous Valsalva effect which characterize competitive posing.
Veiny arms are common in bodybuilders and people with a high muscle-to-fat ratio. Muscle pushes the veins outward, and having less fat below the skin increases their visibility. Veins in the arms can become particularly prominent during or after weightlifting and other types of resistance training.
No matter how much isolation work you do, the vein will pop up only when your body fat percentage comes down to around 12 per cent. A real vascular vein is visible when you hit the single digit.
As you get in shape, your muscles become more defined and you lose some of your subcutaneous fat. Both of these changes may make your veins more visible. You may also notice your veins more if you have fair skin or as you age. In these cases, the visible veins are most likely healthy.
Exercise, hot weather, sun exposure, and tight clothing can make your veins more noticeable. Aging, genetics, and being overweight may also increase their definition. Diseases that affect the vein are more serious. This includes blood clots and deep vein thrombosis.
These veins are often desirable because they come along with low body fat and well-defined muscles. Veiny arms can also be caused by increased blood pressure, high stress levels, genetics, and age.
This bulging is neither good nor bad but simply a result of normal physiological mechanisms that result from the rise in arterial blood pressure during exertion.
"Some may be very lean but with little vascularity and some can have more fat and still have some vascularity in cases," says Dr. Nadolsky. Bottom line, it most likely is a good indicator that you're fit, but it's not a given. "You can be really fit and not have a lot of veins showing though," says Dr.
For a man, 2–5% fat is essential, 2–24% fat is considered healthy, and more than 25% classifies as obesity. For a woman, 10–13% fat is essential, 10–31% fat is healthy, and more than 32% classifies as obesity.
Getting more vascular can be influenced by training, diet, hydration status, and supplementation. Having low body fat levels is a must to be vascular. In addition, adding more muscle mass and focusing on workouts that increase blood flow to the muscle and vessels are other ways to manipulate your vascularity levels.
If a vein suddenly and rapidly turns blue, it could be a sign of blood pooling in your circulatory system or deep vein thrombosis. If the vein color is changing. Seek medical help if your vein color changes from blue to a darker blue, purple, or even green as this can mean you are suffering venous insufficiency.
The more water you drink, the plumper your veins are. This makes it easier for the phlebotomist to find your vein.
Your risk of developing varicose veins increases if a close family member has the condition, confirming a relationship between genetics and varicose veins. If you have one parent with varicose veins, you have about a 40 percent chance of inheriting them.
Veiny hands are typically nothing to worry about. However, there are a few instances that may be cause for concern. If the veins in your hands only enlarge after changes in heat or extensive exercise, there's likely no need to be worried.
"When you accrue significant muscle mass, your body adapts by expanding its blood flow network; thus, veins become more prominent in specific areas." This means the more muscle mass you have, the more vascular you'll appear.
“Strength training causes the muscles to engorge and swell with plasma,” explains Levison. “This pushes the veins closer to the surface.” It makes them more visible, especially on folks (like me) with pale or thin skin, he says.
Cardio workouts can provide several benefits connected with better vascularity. For example, running boosts blood circulation, burns fat, and contributes to weight loss. Each of these occurrences is an optimal condition to create natural vascularity in your body.
You'll also notice that, just like the guys in your gym, some bodybuilders seem to have greater vascularity than others. That's not because of how they train—it's genetic. Some people naturally have more veins closer to the surface of their skin than others.
As a general rule of thumb, 10 per cent body fat is the safest place to be. You're lean enough to show muscle — including your six-pack — and you can see your veins from your shoulders to your hands, but you're not so shredded that you're becoming translucent.