31-Phosphorus magnetic resonance spectroscopy was used to study in vivo the effect of cytosolic [H+] on the kinetics of initial post-exercise recovery of inorganic phosphate (Pi) in human gastrocnemius muscle. Linear correlations were found between the rate of initial phosphate recovery and: a) the minimum value of cytosolic pH reached during recovery, and b) the minimum percentage of divalent anion present. These linear relationships are consistent with the current knowledge of Pi transport, and represent new invariant parameters for the study of muscle pathologies that may involve Pi and/or H+ transport.