Metabolic costs of force generation were compared for constant-frequency and catchlike-inducing electrical stimulation. Repetitive catchlike-inducing trains consisted of 2 interpulse intervals (IPIs) at 12.5 ms, 1 IPI at 25 ms, and 5 IPIs at 50 ms. Constant-frequency trains consisted of 8 IPIs at 37.5 ms. One train was delivered to the peroneal nerve every 2.5 s for 36 times under ischemic conditions. Anaerobic adenosine triphosphate (ATP) turnover was determined using 31-phosphorus magnetic resonance spectroscopy (P-MRS) of the human tibialis anterior muscle. Compared with constant-frequency trains, catchlike-inducing trains produced a faster force generation and were more effective in maintaining the force--time integral as well as peak force. However, ATP costs of force generation were similar for the catchlike-inducing and constant-frequency stimulation (6.7 plus/minus 1.1 and 6.6 plus/minus 1.0 micromol ATP/kg wet weight/Ncenter dots, respectively, P = 0.601). This suggests that the positive effects of catchlike-inducing stimulation on force maintenance are mediated by potentiated Ca(2+) release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum rather than by lower metabolic costs of muscle force generation. Our findings also suggest that catchlike-inducing stimulation produces larger forces in fatigued muscle than constant-frequency trains and thus may be beneficial for muscle training or rehabilitation when muscle loading needs to be maintained in repetitive contractions.