The concept of social capital, which was first used in 1916 in L.J. Hanifan's study titled "The Rural School Community" (The Rural School Community Centre), started to be popularly studied in the field of social sciences especially in the 90s. The concept has become more popular after the 90s, especially by researchers working in different disciplines such as Pierre Bourdieu, James Coleman and Robert Putnam. Most leisure activities have a social dimension and are therefore socially significant. A common characteristic of leisure activities is their ability to connect people. Leisure activities can contribute to personal health, well-being and self-actualisation and can also promote trust, cooperation and bonding. Gyms have close relevance to social capital for gym users, as gyms are places where interpersonal intimacy and physical proximity define the gym experience. Numerous studies on participation in exercise and fitness show that the dominant reason for participation is the desire to establish a network of friends and acquaintances. In this context, the historical development of the concept of social capital, the types of social capital and the link between social capital and recreational activities are explained in this section.