I don ' t know either way . I ' m just laughing at the Soros conspiracies . <| sep |> The intent of cardio is improved cardiovascular function hence cardio . The intent of conditioning is improved performance , usually for a sport . The two can overlap , but that tends to be more coincidental than anything . For a runner , running can be both cardio and conditioning , but even then , runners can break up the runs based on intent distance , speed , pacingstride , etc . For a boxer , running might be conditioning , but it ' s typically more a cardio workout compared to something like rounds on the heavy bag , sledgehammer work , multiples rounds against a fresh sparring partner , etc . Then , you take someone like a powerlifter , and running could very rarely be conditioning compared to something like sled dragging , timed sets , tire flips , etc , but would still be a form of cardio . Conditioning tends to be more focused on recovery between workouts and within a workout .