Your veins start to show when your body is at around 10 percent body fat.
15% body fat: This percentage of body fat usually fits into the “lean and fit” category. Outlines of muscle can be seen, but there is not really a clear separation between them. Muscles and veins can slightly be seen, but are covered by a thin layer of fat. However, the overall body shape is present and can be noticed.
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.
The same goes for veins: The less fat on the body, the tighter skin looks and the more visible the veins. Ideally, body fat should be between six and 10 percent. (Most men have about 20 percent body fat. For a rough estimate, try using calipers, the old-school method of measuring fat by pinching skin folds.
Even if you have relatively low body fat, your veins might not show if you don't have toned, dense muscles. The reason is that the swelling and hardening of your muscles pushes the veins closer to the surface where they're more visible.
Reduce your body fat
To make your veins visible, you must limit your body fat. This is the most important factor. A body fat percentage below 12 % allows you to start having visible abs. The same goes for the arm veins.
There is more fat all around the body at the 30% level including waist, back, thighs, and calves. The waist looks larger relative to the hips, and the stomach will likely be protruding over the waist noticeably. There is no muscle separation.
MALE BODY FAT PERCENTAGE: 25% – 29%
There's no separation of muscles and veins typically don't show.
Sometimes, weight gain can disguise the symptoms of varicose veins. Varicose veins are usually quite obvious, but they can become less noticeable when the body has excess amounts of fat. This can obscure any swelling that you might otherwise notice at a healthier weight.
The ideal body fat percentage for jawline definition may vary from person to person, but most people believe that the lowest amount of body fat you can have is around 10% or less. The average person has between 20% and 25% body fat.
Varicose veins can sometimes be masked by excess fat on the legs, so you could have varicose veins and not even know it. If you're overweight and have symptoms such as throbbing or cramping leg pain, "heavy" legs, swelling, and changes in the skin, such as discoloration, schedule an appointment with a vein doctor.
A good body fat percentage for a female, might be around 20-30%, and for a male, 10-20%, however for athletes, this is likely to be lower, potentially 15-20% and 6-10% for females and males respectively.
20-25% body fat: Normal/healthy level within the average. Slight muscle definition (shoulders and upper arms) is visible. The abdominals are not yet clearly visible. 17-19% body fat: Fit.
Male Body Fat Percentage: 15% – 19%
This is more of a lean look, with less muscle striations and vascularity. The definition on muscles goes down and there is not a clear separation between them. Most vascularity is gone, but some can still be seen on the arms.
14% to 17% Body Fat
You might see the upper two abdominal areas, but the bottom abs probably aren't coming in as much. You have some separation and hardness of the muscles all over and slight vascularity, but everything isn't dug out quite as deep.
Veiny arms are not necessarily a sign of fitness, but they are more common among people with high muscle mass and low body fat. Veiny arms can also occur during certain exercises, such as weightlifting. These exercises can cause the muscles to swell, which pushes the veins closer to the skin's surface.
Your arms are also susceptible to visible veins. You often see this on bodybuilders and others who are into fitness. These veins are often desirable because they come along with low body fat and well-defined muscles.
Experts believe that veins on arms indicate health and strength and this could be the reason why women find such men attractive.
There are plenty of reasons to skip cardio, but one reason not to is that it may help promote more prominent veins. For starters, cardio helps to create a greater caloric deficit (assuming you're not eating more to compensate), which works to reduce body fat. The leaner you are, the more vascular you appear.
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.
Yes, creatine can help improve vascularity by promoting muscle growth and improving blood flow to the muscles.
According to this research paper, men who are between 20-40 years old with under 8% body fat are considered “underfat”, whereas a “healthy” range is described as between 8-19%. For women in this same age group, any level under 21% is “underfat” and 21-33% is considered “healthy”.
The study found that 12% was the most attractive body fat percentage. Attractiveness by body fat followed a bell-shaped curve: 12% body fat is optimum. If you exceed this value, you become less attractive as your body fat percentage increases. Less body fat than 12%, however, also reduces attractiveness.