Ethel. That was the name of my first vein. Yep, I actually named it. I was so proud of that sucker. A little line right across the top of my right delt, that popped out whenever I did shoulder presses. When the one on my left shoulder emerged, it was christened Lucy. Since weightlifters see their bulging veins as evidence of their growing muscles, I wore Ethel & Lucy with pride and all of my weightlifting buddies rejoiced with me.
Heinous?
But even Angelina Jolie & Madonna, both known for being simultaneously muscular and ultra-sexy, are being called out for having rope-veined arms. And I’ve got to admit, my arms look just like Angelina’s. (Which is the only comparison between her & I you will ever hear me make. Look ma, I got celebrity veins!) Granted, the veins are worse when I’m lifting, dehydrated or clenching my fists. But just sitting here typing, you can’t see them at all. It seems unfair that we chastise women for not looking “toned” but then ridicule the effects of the exercise necessary to get those shapely arms.
Veinous!
So where do they come from, these veins? Because I am apparently not the only person who worries about such things, Scientific American has a very detailed and technical answer. It basically boils down to two things: growing muscle pushes veins closer to the skin and a lack of subcutaneous fat makes them more obvious (which explains why old people have such veiny hands). Bodybuilders have both bulging muscles and a low bodyfat percentage, hence the garden hoses. Genetics are also involved. Scientific American doesn’t address this aspect of it but I’m pretty sure the fish belly color of my skin probably helps the veins pop as well.
My mother, who is a nurse, has her own take on it: “You’re a phlebotomist’s dream come true!” She’s so easy to please.
So how about you guys – any other vein-y folk out there? Do you wear them with pride or hide them away? And how do you feel about women being critiqued for the size of their veins, of all things?
I consider myself veinless. Phlebotomists cringe when I sit down and tell them that I have no veins…doesn’t matter how hydrated (or flexed) I am. They often have to draw from my wrists, forearms, hands, and–one terrifying time–my feet.
I may never have my own Lucy and Ethel…I’m still getting used to budding muscles.
“Feel this…is it a tumor?”
“No, I’m pretty sure it’s your bicep.”
“Oh…right.”
Congrats on your veins, Charlotte. I don’t think you’ll have to worry about looking like the gal in the second picture…I mean, she’s got blonde hair. 😉
I never know what to expect on this blog, and you never disappoint!
I gotta say, maybe as a judge in a beauty contest, a person could be too veiney, but as a doctor, where an available vein is a lifeline in an emergency, I love veins with a passion, only exceeded by a heroin addict!
i have no veins that show YET but i will wear them with pride cause that will mean my weight lifting is paying off and most of my fat is gone!
People have commented on my veiny arms, but like you, I’m kind of proud. I worked hard for those muscles, but sometimes my wrists and forearms do look a little too thin. I won’t lie – I like it.
i have a small little vein that shows up on my left forearm sometimes, but that’s it. one day it’ll come out to play for good. i hope.
too many veins (like the bodybuilder) are scary-looking. but it’s true – with the case of, say, angelina jolie/celebrities, where do you draw the line?
I like my middle ground: Nothing prominently visible, but after doing a few pushups, I can coax a few to start showing themselves.
I love the one that shows up across the front of the shoulder. Ever since I saw basketball players often have this vein visible, I’ve associated this vein with athleticism, which in turn made me feel good about myself 🙂
now now Charlotte 🙂
*I* do not wanna be that woman but Ive attended many shows where how she looked (the veiny bodybuilder I mean) won awards. Her vascularity, in that arena and subculture, was prized.
that said, I dont mind the veins one way or another.
I think I look far more vascular for some reason on my videos (remember the man at thatsfit.com who, essentially, commented that it was really mannish?) than I do in person.
I think your arms are lovely and am confident that, somewhere in lalaland or france :), angie is being told she has charlotte arms!!
Doctors love me cuz my veins are fairly prominent. Not so much in my arms, but on my hands, feet, and inside my elbows.
I seems a little silly to start judging people based on their VEINS. (They’re so vein? They try to cover them up, but it’s all in vein? The rain in Spain falls mainly on her veins?
Sorry.)
It just seems like we’re getting awfully nit-picky these days.
You’re so vein, you probably think this post is about you…
Veins are gross. Blood is gross. It makes me dry heave just thinking about it. In high school, I used to lie when asked to give blood and tell them I was underweight. No one dared challenge me on that. Now they would… sad. Still, if having prominent veins means having prominent muscles. Bring on the veinage!
I’m veiny, and it’s gotten “worse” with time. Also I notice my veins more now that I train with kettlebells, as my forearms are worked in a way they’ve never worked before. And as my bodyfat drops, my veins are more pronounced.
My thinking? The serenity prayer, which has everything to do with life and aging and veins:
God grant me the serenity to accept the things I can not change (my age, my veins)
The courage to change the things I can (what I eat, how I move)
And the wisdom to know the difference.
I have the genetic ‘gift’ of prominent veins. I know it’s a pet peeve of more than a few people who I’d like to tell to get a life.
Sure, two jumping jacks and I’m suddenly the visible woman; but I can also gross-out grown men by showing them how I can make the veins in my hand move around on their own. So, you know, win-win 🙂
Veins are awful. I’d love to have the muscles but I’d like my veins in my body where no one can see them, thanks! But it seems if I keep my bodyfat % out of the silly low range, I have nothing to worry about?
Sweet!
It’s funny, I have been thinking of my veinous arms a lot lately, and then here you go, with a post on that very subject.
Okay, reading that last statement makes me sound very neurotic – who actually sits and thinks about her veins. What I should say is that I have been noticing how veiny my arms have become – and the answer is very.
While I am cool with the arm thing, what I am not cool with is the huge veins that pop out at the tops of my feet!! EW!! They take on a rather alien appearance after a big run. Again, EW.
As long as I don’t get these bulging veins on, say, the back of my legs, I think I can tolerate them.
Once again, you have proven that just when I thought I was the only weird one who concerned herself with such odd topics, there is someone else out there!!!
Is a test of loyal readership? I thought I may have spookily dreamt I had read this before 😛
I think they’re something to be proud of, a lot of hard work goes in obtaining them. I don’t know that I’d feel hot after the first couple though. But it’s definitely relative to the circles you mix in. In competition I’m sure people get quite envious of the uber vein poppage.
I don’t have veiney arms as I have no where near enough muscles. My arm veins seem to be quite deep in fact as drawing blood is generally a trial for the doctor/nurse. Thankfully I have no problem with needles or giving blood so it doesn’t bother me how much they have to root around. I do however have those big bulgy out veins on my legs as I have inherited varicose veins from my dad. Boo to genetics. I’ve had one removed so far and will probable have more done. They don’t look very nice but I generally forget about them as much as I can.
Oooooo, does this mean I have a muscular forehead? No? I have visible veins in my hands, forearms, feet, and forehead. Seriously! I guess it stresses me out to have my picture taken, so in a lot of pictures I have a big vein running vertically down the middle of my forehead. LOL!
I don’t have popping veins yet, although they are fairly visible. Frankly though, Angelina Jolie was cited for possible disordered eating, at which point her veins became more noticeable. So it’s possible that she was dehydrated, as her veins tend to play peekabo: in some pictures they’re out and proud, and in others, they’re hiding.
I don’t have many majorly visible veins, except for my feet, but they are becoming more visible. This is brilliant for many reasons but mainly because going for blood tests before used to be a trial and now the nurses no longer curse me and my tiny, invisible veins.
Two weeks ago I had serious food poisoning and had to go to emergency and get an IV ‘cos I was so dehydrated – it took them 2 seconds to do it, as opposed to searching forever. Yay?
I have seriously veiny forearms and hands, but that part of me has always been pretty slim anyway, so its no wonder. And I get a stress vein that pops up in the side of my head by my hairline too, like Stressed Eric!
I don’t mind them, but I did give somebody my hand to show me some weird pressure point thing the other day and he totally freaked out!
TA x
It seems silly to critique- then again, seems that we’re critiqued for just about everything these days!
I’m not too veiny but my arms are a little bit more so than they used to be- when I was doing the push up challenge as well as boot camp my sister remarked upon them. And agreed about the phlebotomist comment! Hehehe.
Too much bodyfat here to pop out veins, but I like muscular looking limbs–on both men and women. So would happily take the veins if I could get the buffed look that accompanies them.
Dude, I’m so veiny. For me it’s due to low body fat however and not muscle. I’m working on building muscle but right now my top half is scrawny like Angelina’s. I hope my veins won’t get even more prominent if I improve my guns.
I’m pretty self-conscious about it actually. As we were watching Wanted recently I remarked how beautiful Angelina is and my boyfriend said “Really? I think she looks like a skeleton!” So, hmmm. And recently my sister said “Ooh, you’re so veiny!” and I was like “I know!” But what can you do?
My body fat isn’t low enough to be veiny at the moment, but I was there in High School when I trained for basketball 7 days per week.
Yep, I’ve got angie/charlotte arms. If I had my druthers, I’d ruther have my muscles without the veins, but I’ve learned to embrace them as a package deal.
The alternative? Turkey wings flapping in the breeze. I’ll keep my veins, thank-you very much!
I’m veiny too. Not “vainy” mind you. But I suppose one could by vainy about being veiny. And it does make for an easy time giving blood:-)
My brother and I are not predisposed to veiny-ness. We’ve both been weight lifting for years (my brother is huge and still power lifting) and neither of us has ever had a vein pop out.
However, my skin is so translucent you can actually see the blue lines running all across my skin. So I guess having them pop out wouldn’t make too much a difference to me.
I’m pretty veiny too – although at the moment (almost 30 weeks pregnant) I’m a bit…plush to showcase arm veins. But my hands have bulgy veins if they hang down at my sides, and my inner elbows give phlebotomists shivers of delight.
I decided long ago not to feel bad about my veins, because it’s not like I can change that. I can hide them, under layers of fat, but that’s hardly a route to health and happiness, now is it?
Instead I intend to earn those awesome arm veins, and I will show them off and tell everyone I have Charlotte arms. Totally.
I’m mildy veiny — but I do remember that my veins really stood out during pregnancy.
I never have a problem with blood work.
I’ve always thought the prominent veins are super sexy on men, but until this post I never thought about veins on women, myself included! I guess if I had them I’d be proud of them, and constantly showing off my muscle/vein combos and annoying the heck out of all my friends. I have no visible veins at all, it’s a nightmare giving blood!
My veins pop big time on my forearms, not just when I lift, but even if it’s hot outside. I like to think of them as signs of how efficient my body is at cooling me off. I never minded them much.
I couldn’t really care one way or the other about veins “showing” (unless it’s time for a blood test).
As for criticizing people’s veins – that’s utterly ridiculous.
ugh- i have one huge vein in my shoulder that pops out when im at the gym. i hate it. but i guess i should be thankful its only one. and not in my forehead.
Kelly Turner
http://www.everygymsnightmare.com
I still have a decent amount of fat over the muscles so I’m not too veiny when I’m not lifting. But I did just find these odd bumps lately on my collar which I’m very happy about! 🙂
I have a few veins, but they’re more from running than lifting,as I don’t really do much more than body weight exercises. A lot of my other friends who run have a lot more veins than I, in their calves and forearms. My showy veins are mostly in my arms/hands, and feet. I like them and wish I was thinner so more could be seen
Some Elizabethan women who were not naturally veiny painted blue veins onto their faces, throats and cleavage
Dude, rock out with the vascularity… please! I think it’s awesome, personal preference I guess.
There is obviously a line where too much is bad, but you only really see that in super body builders.
All the Best,
Andrew R
Love your mom’s response. 🙂
Personally, I vote for curse. Please enter me in the random drawing for the prize.
There’s not really anything you can do about them, and they do look better than fat. Not pretty, but a fact of the activity.
Did I win the prize? Come on, I voted!
i want to thank you for this discussion.. as i looked in the mirror this afternoon and i was a bit concerned seeing how blue and prominent the veins in my upper chest area that connects to my arms were… this is week 4 for me since i have returned to working out, i have worked out 9 hours since the 4 weeks has begun (3 hours so far this week)… and this discussion has allowed me to be less concerned and understand that i am actually building more muscles… and not to take the ‘veiny’ thing as serious.
only more muscle is on the way 🙂
My hands and feet are like that, but I just noticed that it goes away whenever I drink a lot of fluids. If I don't, I get dehydrated quickly due to my involvement in cross country and they're very prominent again. They actually bother me though; I don't find them very attractive on myself. :/
Anon – Dehydration!! I bet you are right. Why have I never thought of that before? Seriously, I think you just hit the nail on the head.
I am soooo glad I found this blog spot! I have been dreading summer because of my veins! I have worked out for years and it seems my veins are bigger than life,…I have been extremely embarrassed to wear summer clothing because they just stand out ALL over my body (I live in sunny California, of all places). Now I will wear them with pride!!! Maybe I'll even name all of them….LOL
I thank veins are very sexy, specially on a man arms, forehead and neck. It's kind a turn on for me.
Okay, apparently this subject continues to grow "legs" (pun intended). I am now 48 years old, 5'7", and weigh 115. I've ALWAYS been "veiny", and now?? With non-stop riding (hunter/jumpers) and the Reformer machine, it's beyond disgusting. The worst thing to happen thus far are the veins in my calfs. Calves?. LOL. Anyway, they are now HUGE!, and my feet, and my arms….ugh ugh ugh. So I'm "too thin to win", and I've got veins I want removed (like varicose veins, but apparently that is not what these are). Body builders may love them, but I hate them like I hate cellulite. Hideous. My skirts are now down to my ankles, and I'm never EVER wearing a swimsuit again, because thanks to my riding, my thighs are now popping big ugly veins. 🙁
You sound PERFECT to me. I think blue veins and bulging veins on a woman, especially one with your height and weight and age are the most attractive, sexy and beautiful combination one could put together. You sound “delicious” and just know there are many men out there who think the same. You are NOT too thin …you are perfect and attractive.Think about what you have as a beautiful physical characteristic and you GO GIRL and wear that bikini and short skirt and sleeveless blouse and FLAUNT those veins because that’s how you’ll find a man who APPRECIATES you … I kkow I WOULD!!! Hope you respond …. Joe
I have always been a toned woman even without trying (I know I'm one of the lucky ones)I have always had veins that popped out all over. I never knew they were supposed to be considered ugly- I'd had them since I was young and I was always proud of them and thought they looked nice. I also liked them because when I danced or ran track later on, I felt they were earned and I could practically feel the "life force" of increased blood flow feeding my body.
I have worked as a veterinary technician and I know what your mom says by "a phlebotomists dream". I've known that I am one myself! And it makes me d@&* proud to be fit and healthy. I still feel that some veins showing is sexy- it shows your fir and healthy with healthy veins feeding a healthy body
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Dear Anonymous: You sound perfect! I love visible blue veins and bulging veins on a thin tall woman like yourself. There are many men out there who would find you to be beautiful and sexy and I am one of them. I hope you respond.
got it ! i thought i was the only girl on earth having bulging veins.
before, i was very unconfortable to show my hands with my frends
but now im very very proud on having those veins too.. i love working out and physical fitness activities..
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