Cardio vs Conditioning: Which One Do You Need?

It's not clear how or when, but "cardio" has become the word lifters use for anything that makes them sweat without a barbell, and "conditioning" is what gym bros call whatever it is they do because it sounds cooler. They do mean different things, though, and if you lift, they should be programmed differently as well (and with strength and conditioning having a moment, it's worth knowing which one you're doing).

Here's what cardio and conditioning both train and how to add them to your routine without wrecking your squat.

What Is Cardio?

Cardio (short for cardiovascular exercise) is any steady, rhythmic activity that raises your heart rate and keeps it there for a while, like walking, jogging, cycling, or swimming. Most cardio is aerobic, which means your body has enough oxygen coming in to keep up with the work, so you can keep going for a long time.

Benefits of cardio are a stronger heart, more capillaries in your working muscles, and more mitochondria in your cells (which turn food and oxygen into energy). All of these benefits lead to better aerobic endurance, and the better it is, the longer you're likely to live. People with higher cardio fitness levels have about half the risk of dying from any cause compared to the least fit people. Every bit of increase in your cardio fitness lowers your risk a little more.

What Is Conditioning?

Conditioning is training your body to be able to handle hard work, recover, then repeat. It's still cardio, but often incorporates strength training and sprinting, usually as intervals or circuits. Coaches often call this athletic conditioning, since it's the kind of work that gets wrestlers and other athletes ready to go hard for a whole match. Examples of conditioning exercises are sled pushes, air bike sprints, kettlebell swings, loaded carries, and burpees. We have a whole collection of gear you can use for these types of workouts.

Conditioning includes quite a lot of anaerobic training, which is when you're working harder than your oxygen supply can keep up with, resting, then going again. Metabolic conditioning (or metabolic training, or "metcon") is basically the same thing with short rests and full body moves that require a lot of energy. This kind of resistance training with circuits has been shown to build muscle, cut fat, and increase VO2 max, though it works a little differently than straight strength training (more on that in circuit training vs. strength training).

The Main Differences Between Cardio and Conditioning

Cardio trains your aerobic base, and conditioning helps you use it under stress. Cardio is steady, lower intensity, and manageable if you do it every day, while conditioning is more intense and mixes strength and cardio, so it needs more recovery time.

The two overlap, though. For example, a hard interval session on the Strive™ Air Bike can count as both (some people call this conditioning cardio, which clears up nothing). You'll get benefits from both, but low-volume interval work improves aerobic fitness more than steady cardio does per minute spent, you just can't do intense exercise as often as the less intense kind.

Cardio vs Conditioning to Lose Weight

Neither one is magic for fat loss, and your diet does most of the work here (sorry). Interval conditioning and steady cardio lead to about the same amount of fat loss, but you can spend 40 percent less time training if you do intervals. Some research also found intervals cut a bit more body fat, especially for people carrying extra weight, but the difference is pretty small.

Consistency is really what helps the most, so if you like steady state, do that. Many people find high intensity training too draining to keep up and might be more likely to give up. Conditioning does burn more calories per minute and helps you hold onto muscle, but is tough to recover from in a deficit. Cardio is easier to recover from, so you can do more of it without getting overly fatigued or tanking your lifts. Of course, you can combine them and do a couple of easier cardio sessions and one or two conditioning sessions per week to keep your calorie burn higher without burning out.

Cardio vs Conditioning for Bodybuilding and Strength

The research on concurrent training (lifting and cardio in the same program) says you can still grow muscle and maintain max strength when you add cardio, but you might see a drop in explosive strength if you try to do them in the same session.

The more experienced you are as a lifter, the more you'll likely notice this drop. Your lower body strength gains will also take a small hit if you do cardio and squats back to back, so if you want the best of both worlds, it's better to do them on different days.

How much cardio will interfere also depends on what you do. Running interferes with leg size and strength more than cycling, likely because its greater impact forces, which may increase muscle damage and interfere with recovery. Using an air bike, rower, or doing an incline walk will avoid that issue, as will sprints (if you keep them short).

Read More: Cardio vs Strength Training

How to Add Cardio and Conditioning to a Strength Program

For the average lifter, doing three or four strength training sessions and two or three short cardio or conditioning sessions is a decent way to plan your week.

• Lift before doing cardio to avoid impacting strength or muscle size (better yet, separate them by at least three hours or do them on different days).
• Keep most cardio easy to maintain aerobic fitness. Two to three sessions (20-40 mins) at a conversational pace. Easy cardio (even pool work) also makes a great rest-day activity since it speeds recovery without adding more fatigue.
• Do a max of two conditioning sessions per week of about 10-20 mins. Avoid them the day before heavy squats or deadlifts.
• Choose machines that work for both like the Strive™ Curved Treadmill or Air Bike, which both scale resistance based on your effort with additional resistance controls. REP's full lineup of cardio machines covers the easy days too.

Read More: The Best Cardio Equipment

Sample Cardio Workout

You can do this 30 minute steady session on any machine or outside. Aim for an effort where you could hold a conversation but wouldn't want to sing.

• 5 minutes easy warm-up
• 20 minutes steady at a conversational pace (roughly 60 to 70 percent of your max heart rate)
• 5 minutes easy cool-down

Sample Conditioning Workout

A simple metabolic conditioning circuit that takes about 15 minutes after a warm-up. Pick loads you could handle for twice the reps, because your form will start to fall apart fast once you're gassed.

• Air bike: 30 seconds hard
• Kettlebell swings: 15 reps
• Sled push (or curved treadmill in sled mode): 20 to 30 yards
• Push-ups: 10 to 15 reps
• Farmer's carry: 30 yards
• Rest 90 seconds, then repeat for 4 to 5 rounds

If a sled isn't handy, swap in 10 goblet squats.

Takeaway

Cardio is important for building your base and comes with a ton of health benefits. Use conditioning workouts to help you push to the limits and recover before going at it again, which is important for athletics and lifting to your max. Conditioning is demanding, so stick to one or two sessions per week. Pick the bike or sled over the pavement when leg day is the priority. Your squat will survive, and you might even start enjoying the air bike (okay, probably not).

FAQs

What are the main differences between cardio and conditioning workouts?

Cardio is steady, moderate work like jogging, cycling, or rowing that trains your heart, lungs, and aerobic endurance. Conditioning is higher intensity, interval or circuit based work that mixes strength and cardio and trains your ability to push hard, recover, and repeat. Cardio is easy to recover from and can happen most days, while conditioning creates more fatigue and works best one or two times per week.

What's the main difference between cardio and conditioning for weight loss?

For fat loss, the two come out roughly even when total effort is similar, but conditioning takes less time per session. Steady cardio is easier to recover from during a diet, so you can do more of it without hurting your lifts. Conditioning burns more per minute and holds onto muscle a little better, but it's harder to recover from in a calorie deficit. Your diet decides most of the result either way.

How can I run without losing muscle mass?

Keep your lifting volume where it is, eat enough protein and calories to support it, and put your runs on separate days from heavy leg work (or at least a few hours apart). Running interferes with leg strength more than cycling does, so keep most runs easy and short, and limit hard sessions to one or two a week. Short sprints are fine and don't blunt strength gains. If you still see your lifts slipping, swap a run for the bike or an incline walk.

What are the best gym machines for cardio compared to conditioning workouts?

For steady cardio, pick something low-impact you can sit on or walk on for 30 minutes, like a bike, rower, elliptical, or treadmill at a walk or jog. For conditioning, you want a machine that ramps resistance instantly and punishes you for pushing harder, which is why air bikes, rowers, and curved treadmills with sled resistance are the go-to options. A machine that does both, like the Strive™ Curved Treadmill or Strive™ Air Bike, saves space in a home gym.