Vascularity - Why?

Is increased vascularity a matter of less fat, so you can see your veins more clearly (kinda like removing cateracts)…or is it something else?

With a more effecient GPP, I would imagine that the veins and arteries would widen to allow for more efficient blood flow…by I’m guessing here.

I have noticed a considerable increase in vascularity on my forearms and shoulders (even the ones on my biceps). I’ve lost a little fat, but nothing to right home about. My guess is my BF% is somewhere around 14-16%. I need to get pinched next week…but my body weight is down slightly at 210lb at 5ft9in.

Any thoughts?

[quote]StrongMan wrote:
Is increased vascularity a matter of less fat, so you can see your veins more clearly (kinda like removing cateracts)…or is it something else?

With a more effecient GPP, I would imagine that the veins and arteries would widen to allow for more efficient blood flow…by I’m guessing here.

I have noticed a considerable increase in vascularity on my forearms and shoulders (even the ones on my biceps). I’ve lost a little fat, but nothing to right home about. My guess is my BF% is somewhere around 14-16%. I need to get pinched next week…but my body weight is down slightly at 210lb at 5ft9in.

Any thoughts? [/quote]

It isn’t just about being lean. It is also about the how big the underlying muscle tissue is. The larger the needed blood supply (to a larger muscle group) the larger the veins can become. I have noticed larger veins at my delt tie-in recently, because that is where I have gained the most size…between that and upper chest development. While being leaner will help you see the veins you have, getting bigger will make even those veins stand out more. The rest is a factor of water retention. Some simply hold more water than others and have a hard time seeing any veins at all.

i would have to say body fat levels is the key and then genetics affecting vein proximity to the skin. laters pk

i am sure it is largely genetic. if you have shallow/deep veins etc.

i became very lean (less tha 9 pc) and was fairly vascular, but not massively.

however, it is likel that if you are a tubby, then you will not be vascular at all.

well, maybe your “bits”!

Thanks for the feedback guys.

And welcome back Prof X!

Ok, I’ll add to the fire. How come at random times of the day I am more vascular than others? And while I am doing any movment with a lot of arm involvment it looks like I have garden hoses under my skin but 90% of the time when I’m not lifting I can’t even see them?

[quote]analog_kid wrote:
Ok, I’ll add to the fire. How come at random times of the day I am more vascular than others? And while I am doing any movment with a lot of arm involvment it looks like I have garden hoses under my skin but 90% of the time when I’m not lifting I can’t even see them?[/quote]

yup, same here

[quote]analog_kid wrote:
Ok, I’ll add to the fire. How come at random times of the day I am more vascular than others? And while I am doing any movment with a lot of arm involvment it looks like I have garden hoses under my skin but 90% of the time when I’m not lifting I can’t even see them?[/quote]

This was answered already. The only reason you have veins is because those extremeties need blood. If they need MORE blood (as in, when you are lifting or if they get bigger through training) more veins will be produced or there will be an increase in the size of the ones available.

Daily fluctations in body water and activity can have much to do with visability. Your body is never static (that means it is never in a non-changing state). It is always tearing down (catabolism) and building up (anabolism). It will do this until you die. That means you don’t even have the exact same body right now that you had when you woke up this morning (some cells died, some were sloughed off, some were added). That is about as simple as I can put it.