Stretching

Question

Can anyone tell me the difference between "estirar" and "desperezarse"? Both translate as "to stretch" in the dictionary.

Is one more common than the other? I'm in Spain, and if they both mean the same thing, I'd like to learn the more common term.

Happy stretching!

Answer 1

As far as I can gather, estirar is used for exercises or to stretch out for something.

El estiramiento - a set of stretching exercises as part of a warm up routine in sport.

Desperezarse - reflexive verb used for the act of stretching when one is feeling tired and yawning etc.

Answer 2

tight - tirante.

to have stiff muscle - tener agujetas (colloquial, used in the Canary Islands. I have no idea whether the term is used alsewhere or not.)

Answer 3

Thanks!

A related question - how do you say "tight", as in "I did some stretching because my legs were feeling tight"?

Is it ajustado, or is that just for clothes?