Meaning & use
cardio
Last updated
Meanings
noununcountableinformal
Exercise that raises your heart rate, done to improve fitness and heart health.
Grammar: Uncountable; used without 'a' or 'an'. You can say 'do cardio' or 'cardio exercise'.
Patterns
- do cardio
- cardio workout
- cardio exercise
I do cardio for thirty minutes every morning.
Running and swimming are great forms of cardio.
She prefers cardio to weightlifting.
nouncountableinformal
A workout or session focused on cardiovascular exercise.
Grammar: Countable when referring to a specific session: 'a cardio' or 'cardios' is rare but possible in informal gym talk.
Patterns
- a cardio session
- my cardio
I did a quick cardio before breakfast.
My cardio today was a 5k run.
Common combinations
- do cardio
- I try to do cardio three times a week.
- cardio workout
- That cardio workout left me out of breath.
- cardio exercise
- Cardio exercise is good for your heart.
- cardio machine
- The gym has various cardio machines like treadmills and bikes.
Synonyms and how they differ
- cardiovascular exercise
- The full, formal term; 'cardio' is the informal shortening.
- aerobic exercise
- Similar meaning, but 'aerobic' emphasizes oxygen use and is more technical.
Opposites
Word family
- cardiovascular adjective
- Relating to the heart and blood vessels; 'cardio' is short for cardiovascular exercise.
Commonly confused: cardio or cardiac?
cardio vs cardiac
Cardiac means relating to the heart (e.g., cardiac arrest); cardio refers to exercise that raises heart rate.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'cardio' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Cardio' is uncountable in this sense, so you say 'did cardio' without an article. 'A cardio' and 'cardios' are not standard; 'the cardio' would only be used if you were referring to a specific known session.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “cardio”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.