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Bjornsson Deadlifted 1,026 pounds On The Elephant Bar To Win 2020 Arnold Classic
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Bjornsson Deadlifted 1,026 pounds On The Elephant Bar To Win 2020 Arnold Classic

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Training One Arm Will Reportedly Boost Muscle Growth In The Other

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Build Last-Minute Muscle And Win The Race For Big Arms

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Want To Burn Extra Body Fat? Try Drinking This Type Of Tea

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This Trainer Gained 30kg Of Fat On Purpose, To Better Understand His Clients

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In Case You Missed It, Mark Wahlberg Is Still Jacked, And Here's How

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  2. Fitness

How To Get Veins To Show On Your Arms

Welcome to the gun show - by Alex Pierotti
  • 15 May 2018
How To Get Veins To Show On Your Arms
Getty Images

For most, visible veins are a true sign of muscle. A high carb and sodium diet might pack on the size quick, but that might be seen as cheating. So make your arms pop with these 4 tips.

1. Lower Body Fat Percentage

If you're looking to get veins showing on your bicep, a good place to start is lowering your body fat percentage. Studies from the John Hopkins University show that low body fat can improve blood flow, allowing more oxygen to be delivered to the veins, blowing them up like a balloon. This will help uncover them from beneath your layer of skin. 

Looking to burn body fat quick? Try these exercises. 

2. Reduce Sodium Intake

When you have a high sodium diet, your body retains more water. And while some gym-goers will use this tactic during festival season to expand their muscles, it certainly won't help with vascularity. The Australian recommended intake for sodium is only 460-920mg. To put that into perspective, a packet of plain potato chips contains between 170 and 185mg oer 28grams...yeah that's a lot. Because water is stored between the muscle and skin, not holding excess water will help bring veins to the surface. 

3. Increase Muscle Size

Like the theme of the rest of this piece, reducing the space between your muscle and skin is crucial to having rivers flow down your forearms. Exercising will decrease body fat, helping you on your way but increasing muscle size will make that process even quicker. It's a win-win, you'll have more defined arms while getting enviable veins on your biceps. If you're after a temporary fix that will give you a good preview of what you're up for, resistance training can increase blood flow to your muscles exposing your veins. 

4. Drink More Water

While sodium increases water retention, drinking more water actually does the opposite. If you get through enough to H20 to help you visit the bathroom regularly, you'll flush out any excess water while retaining important minerals to help with muscle functionality. Restricting your water intake to reduce the amount under your skin works but is extremely dangerous. Think Hugh Jackman in Les Misérables.

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Alex Pierotti
Alex Pierotti
Alex Pierotti is the Digital Content Editor for Men's Health Australia, with experience reporting on health, fitness and sport. With a Journalism degree from UNSW under his belt, he got his start working in TV, working on the live broadcast of the Intrust Super Shute Shield on 7TWO before making the switch to print and digital at Pacific Magazines.

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