In this study, we have investigated the hypothesis that muscles of different oxidative potential would display differences in sarcoplasmic (SR) Ca²⁺-handling responses to repetitive contractile activity and recovery. Repetitive activity was induced in 2 muscles of high oxidative potential, namely soleus (SOL) and red gastrocnemius (RG) and the white gastrocnemius (WG), a muscle of low oxidative potential, by stimulation (60 Hz, 150 ms/s, 5s on/5s off for 5 min) in adult male rats (416±3.0 g; n=20). Measurements of SR properties, performed in crude homogenates, were made on control (C) and stimulated (S) muscles at the start of recovery (R0) and at 25 min of recovery (R25). Maximal Ca²⁺-ATPase activity (V_max, µmol.g protein^-1.min^-1) at RO was lower in S in SOL (105±9 vs 135±7) and RG (269±22 vs 317±26) and higher (P<0.05) in WG (795±32 vs 708±34). At R25, V_max remained lower (P<0.05) in SOL and RG but recovered in WG. Ca²⁺-uptake, measured at 2000 nM, was depressed (P<0.05) in SOL and RG by 34% and 13%, respectively in S at R0 and remained depressed (P<0.05) at R25. In contrast, Ca²⁺-uptake was elevated (P<0.05) in S of WG at R0 by 9% and remained elevated (P<0.05) at R25. Ca²⁺-release (µmol.g protein^-1.min^-1) while unaltered in SOL and RG at both R0 and R25 was increased (P<0.05) in S of WG at both R0 and R25. It is concluded that the SR Ca²⁺-handling responses to repetitive contractile activity and recovery are related to the oxidative potential of the muscle.