Does lifting make your veins more prominent?

I have begun lifting weights 3 times a week and my fiance said that my veins are showing more, and that I my arms (forearms in particular) are looking more masculine. Do you think that really happens? Any advice on how to stop this? I need to lose weight and tone, so I don't plan on stopping weight lifting.

Replies

  • BigT555
    BigT555 Posts: 2,067 Member
    combination of losing fat and improved circulation to your muscles (which is a by product of lifting) will make you more vascular. its mostly temporary though and will fade within a couple hours of lifting
  • brower47
    brower47 Posts: 16,356 Member
    Anything that increases blood flow can and likely will increase vascularization.
  • Holly_Roman_Empire
    Holly_Roman_Empire Posts: 4,440 Member
    Need pics to see what you're talking about.
  • giggitygoo
    giggitygoo Posts: 1,978 Member
    Only if you're really, really, really lean or sometimes right after lifting my forearms will be a little veiny. It goes away.

    Weird thing, I use lifting straps to help me isolate muscle groups before my grip wears out (weak hands) and noticed my forearms aren't quite as vascular as they would be when I don't use them.

    These are my fav:
    http://www.versagripps.com/

    EDIT: I'm pretty proud of my emerging bicep vein.
  • Sam_I_Am77
    Sam_I_Am77 Posts: 2,093 Member
    combination of losing fat and improved circulation to your muscles (which is a by product of lifting) will make you more vascular. its mostly temporary though and will fade within a couple hours of lifting
  • Nanierh85
    Nanierh85 Posts: 118
    That happens when you lose fat but like the other person said it is also temporary. That's what Arnold described as The Pump.

    I say enjoy the feel and tell your husband that fit is the new sexy :p

    congrats on starting this journey :)
  • martinel2099
    martinel2099 Posts: 899 Member
    I've been exercising pretty consistently over the last 2-3 months and I'm noticing the veins in my feed are showing more now. Other than that not especially, they're not exactly ripping out of the fat on my arms :P
  • newlife7654
    newlife7654 Posts: 36 Member
    Thanks everybody! Fit is the new sexy...I love it. :) Thanks for the reassurance this is normal, and hopefully temporary.
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
    Losing fat and genetics is what makes your veins pop.
  • Nanierh85
    Nanierh85 Posts: 118
    Sorry about the double post :p
  • SinCityFit
    SinCityFit Posts: 96
    Nope, bodyfat does. You can be beefier than Arnold at his prime and with enough fat you won't be able to see a vein. You can see veins because there's nothing in-between the skin and the veins, so to speak. Fill it up with soft cushy fat and the vein is now hidden.
  • JazmineYoli
    JazmineYoli Posts: 547 Member
    I started lifting in November and my hands and forearms look like a veiny road map to me. I agree it may be genetics, because I remember playing with my grandmother's veiny hands when I was a kid.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    Tell your BF to stop complaining and get his weight up.

    You haven't gotten masculine- it's a lot of lot of lot of work to get "masculine.

    and by a lot I mean work and drugs.
  • skeo
    skeo Posts: 471 Member
    Lol, I'm jealous. I want my veins to show when I'm lifting, that bicep/forearm vein especially on girls is really attractive to me for some reason, I'm strange I know. :tongue:
  • krysannboggs
    krysannboggs Posts: 48 Member
    Your fiance needs to not be so picky.
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  • juliewatkin
    juliewatkin Posts: 764 Member
    You could start smoking. Nicotine is a vaso constrictor. Caffeine is a vaso dilator. I'm quite vascular and if freaks my kids out. Warm weather will also make them pop.

    jk about smoking. Don't smoke. I've heard it's bad:smile:
  • firstsip
    firstsip Posts: 8,399 Member
    Lol, I'm jealous. I want my veins to show when I'm lifting, that bicep/forearm vein especially on girls is really attractive to me for some reason, I'm strange I know. :tongue:

    I'm the same way. I want OP to post pics! I'm jelly over here.
  • UpEarly
    UpEarly Posts: 2,555 Member
    Yes - sadly, for me, too. I don't like the veins on my legs/arms. Unfortunately, there's no way to stop is besides gaining weight and quitting lifting.
  • Johnplusfour
    Johnplusfour Posts: 105
    Having good CV fitness IMO doesn't make anyone look more masculine. It's called being physically fit. Don't let anyone hold you back!
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
    Chics dig my veins...
  • sheltrk
    sheltrk Posts: 111 Member
    The more fat I cut, the more my veins pop out. Working out definitely makes them pop out more, but that's temporary.

    To the OP: I don't think anything you do can cover up your veins, besides putting on fat... Looking "veiny" is just a consequence of low body fat, as far as I know. Where you carry your fat is genetic.
  • mortuseon
    mortuseon Posts: 579 Member
    It's made me more vein-y (it's really gross). My wrists and forearms are probably where I carry the least fat so I imagine that is why they show up there. For me it's after exercise and when I'm warm - BUT they're more visible than they used to be regardless.
  • awomaame25
    awomaame25 Posts: 189 Member
    Funny enough, that's what I look out for after lifting. Makes me feel like a super woman. Lol
  • AllOutof_Bubblegum
    AllOutof_Bubblegum Posts: 3,646 Member
    Yes. I have veins showing up all over my forearms, a big one in each bicep, and several on my lower abdomen. Comes with the territory.
  • SunofaBeach14
    SunofaBeach14 Posts: 4,899 Member
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