Is Muscle Gain or Fat Loss The Key To Improving Body Building Vascularity?

Body building is a hobby that encourages 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 denote strength and power. With this in mind, body builders attempt to find the key to revealing a vascular appearance, wondering whether veins are a function of building substantial 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 merely one of two variables in achieving such a goal.

A far more vital factor in enhancing vein prominence is body fat percentage, which results from proper diet techniques. When a body builder is gaining muscle mass, many 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 find a solution (such as worthless supplements promising to enhance vein appearance), yet when fat loss becomes the focus, vascularity will naturally improve. Often when seeking muscle gain, body builders use more food than is necessary, or improperly construct their macronutrient profile, which leads to faster and more substantial body fat gain than is necessary, and this negatively impacts both definition and vascularity. As you'll notice, I classify definition and vein appearance together, as the less body fat is stored between muscle tissue and the skin, the larger and more striking 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 dramatically in an effort to burn fat, but because muscle is lost using such an extreme approach, vascularity does not appear to anywhere near the extent that is possible when following a correct carbohydrate, protein and fat ratio, as muscle is also part of the equation in producing both definition and vein prominence. Larger muscles signal for a greater amount of nutrients, which increases blood flow, and enhances 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 works against the body building goal of having a balance of sufficient muscle mass with low body fat for ideal aesthetics.

One additional factor controlling vascularity is genetics, as all body builders do not have the potential to display the same amount of vascularity, yet in most cases, genetic factors are not preventing vein appearance, but rather simply require a body builder to become more diligent in finding an effective fat loss diet routine to improve definition and bring vascularity to maximum levels. Aerobic activity is also helpful in enhancing the rate of fat loss, but no amount of aerobic effort will enhance vascularity without a potent fat reduction diet plan, so even though body builders frequently will either procrastinate regarding fat loss or never pursue a properly designed fat reduction eating strategy specifically because they fear this will lead to 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 start eating and weight training in such a way that not only is conducive towards substantial muscle gain, but also brings body fat to the lowest level that genetics will allow.

You'll find that once diet is structured properly, focusing on body fat reduction using a proper fat loss eating routine will allow vascularity to reach new heights, while greatly enhancing total muscle definition, and this is when body building begins to become a truly rewarding experience! Just make sure to reject the dreaded low carb diet technique, as the muscle loss and metabolism reduction that accompanies such an eating plan will risk substantial muscle loss, and in the long run makes achieving low body fat, and a high level of vascularity, extremely difficult.

Francesco Castano authors MuscleNOW.com, a weight training routine for muscle gain without supplements or drugs. He also owns FatVanish.com, teaching exactly how to burn fat without supplements.