Can social capital motivate individuals to continue exercising? the case of group extreme conditioning program training

Introduction: Social capital is an important concept for individual and societal well-being today. This study aimed to test the relationships among social capital, exercise motivation, and intention to exercise, testing at the same time whether motivation mediates the relationship between social capital and intention to continue exercising. The study was conducted in the context of a group extreme conditioning program training, which has been distinct for its community image and committed member network. Methods: = 590) were collected, with an online questionnaire, from adult group extreme conditioning program training exercisers. Social capital was measured with nine items, which correspond to the three dimensions: network, trust, and reciprocity. Motivation was measured with twelve items, based on the self-determination theory. Results: The results indicated that social capital was an antecedent of both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, but also influenced exercise intention both directly and indirectly, through its influence on motivation. Conclusion: The trust and reciprocity dimensions of social capital were the most influential ones, while the network dimension had only an indirect relationship with intention, through motivation. The theoretical and applied implications of these results are discussed.