Purpose <p>Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) with vascular occlusion testing (VOT) is used to assess skeletal muscle tissue oxygenation (StO₂) responses. Differences in NIRS-VOT outcomes exist between trained and untrained groups; however, it is unclear whether muscle oxidative capacity is a primary determinant of these differences. Our purpose was to test whether NIRS-VOT outcomes differ between adults with relatively high versus low muscle oxidative capacity, and whether desaturation rates correlate with post-exercise recovery kinetics of muscle oxygen consumption (mV̇O₂).</p> Methods <p>Twenty-five adults (12 women) completed assessments of whole-body maximal oxygen uptake (V̇O_2max) and vastus lateralis oxidative capacity, as well as a NIRS-VOT. The NIRS-VOT outcomes included downslope, upslope, and maximum StO₂ (StO_2max). Muscle oxidative capacity (rate constant, <i>k</i>) was quantified following a cycling bout at 50% of peak power at V̇O_2max. Participants were divided into two groups based on <i>k</i> values. Independent <i>t</i>-tests and Bayesian estimation were used to compare NIRS-VOT outcomes between the groups. Pearson’s correlation coefficient examined the relation between downslope and <i>k</i>.</p> Results <p>As expected, the high muscle oxidative capacity group showed greater muscle oxidative capacity than the low group (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.01). Independent <i>t</i>-tests revealed no significant (<i>p</i> &gt; 0.05) differences between groups for downslope, upslope, or StO_2max. Bayesian analyses supported these findings. No significant (<i>p</i> &gt; 0.05) correlations were found between downslope and <i>k</i> across the total sample or subgroups.</p> Conclusion <p>Contrary to our hypothesis, muscle oxidative capacity did not appear to yield group differences in NIRS-VOT outcomes. Furthermore, the resting rate of desaturation is unlikely to be a valid indicator of muscle oxidative capacity.</p>