by: Francesco Castano
Body building is a hobby that promotes a variety of goals, and vascularity for many weight lifters ranks extremely high on the priority list, as those who have visible veins in the arms convey strength and power. With this in mind, body builders aim to find the key to producing a vascular appearance, wondering whether veins are a function of building significant muscle mass, or if there is a certain diet structure that must be observed for veins to become visible. Although many weight lifters aim for maximum muscle gain in an effort to boost vascularity, this is only one of two variables in producing such a goal.
A far more vital factor in enhancing vein prominence is body fat level, which is a function of proper diet techniques. When a body builder is gaining muscle mass, often times body fat increases, and although muscles are growing at a constant pace, definition declines, and vein appearance does not improve (and frequently worsens), which prompts certain body builders to seek a solution (such as worthless supplements promising to enhance vein appearance), yet when fat loss is focused upon, vascularity will naturally improve. Often when seeking muscle gain, body builders use more food than is necessary, or improperly construct their macronutrient profile, which results in faster and more significant body fat gain than is necessary, and this negatively impacts both definition and vascularity. As you'll notice, I group definition and vein appearance together, as the less body fat is stored between muscle tissue and the skin, the larger and more impressive muscles will appear (definition), which will consequently allow veins to take a more prominent appearance (since they are no longer hidden by excess body fat).
Sometimes body builders will cut carbohydrates drastically in an effort to burn fat, but because muscle is lost using such a radical approach, vascularity does not appear to anywhere near the extent that is possible when following a proper fat, carbohydrate and protein ratio, as muscle is also part of the equation in producing both definition and vein prominence. Larger muscles require a greater amount of nutrients, which increases blood flow, and improves vascularity, but only when body fat levels are sufficiently low (the most vital concept), which is why building muscle mass alone is not sufficient. Body builders who pursue muscle gain alone without a professionally structured body fat controlling diet plan will find that vascularity worsens, as does total muscle definition, and this contradicts the body building goal of having a hybrid of sufficient muscle mass with low body fat for ideal aesthetics.
Another factor controlling vascularity is genetics, as all body builders do not have the ability to display the same amount of vascularity, yet in most cases, genetics are not interfering with vein appearance, but rather simply require a body builder to find an effective fat loss diet routine to improve vascularity and bring definition to maximum levels. Cardiovascular activity is also helpful in increasing the rate of fat loss, but no amount of aerobic effort will enhance vascularity without a strong fat reduction diet plan, so although body builders frequently will either procrastinate regarding fat loss or never pursue a properly structured fat reduction eating strategy specifically because they fear this will encourage muscle loss, this stubborn thought process is detrimental, as low body fat, when compared with muscle gain, is equally important in producing a body building caliber physique, and if vascularity is a concern, the only method of bringing veins to the skin's surface is to begin eating and weight training in such a way that not only is conducive towards significant muscle gain, but also brings body fat to the lowest percentage that genetics will allow.
You'll find that once diet is designed properly, focusing on body fat reduction using a proper fat loss eating strategy will allow vascularity to reach impressive levels, while greatly enhancing total muscle definition, and this is when body building begins to become a truly rewarding experience! Just make sure to avoid the counterproductive low carb diet technique, as the muscle loss and metabolism slowdown that accompanies such an eating plan will risk significant muscle loss, and in the long run makes achieving low body fat, and a high level of vascularity, quite difficult.
Francesco Castano authors the http://www.MuscleNOW.com web site, which is a diet and weight training program teaching the exact techniques for building muscle mass without supplements or drugs. He also owns the http://www.FatVanish.com site, where you will find his natural fat loss program.
