Key points Following the start of low-intensity exercise in healthy humans, it has been established that the kinetics of muscle O(2) delivery is faster than, and does not limit, the kinetics of muscle O(2) uptake. Direct data are lacking, however, on the question of whether O(2) delivery might limit O(2) uptake kinetics during high-intensity exercise. In this study, we made frequent measurements of muscle blood flow, arterial-to-venous O(2) difference (a- difference) and O(2) uptake following the onset of multiple transitions of both low-intensity and high-intensity knee-extension exercise in the same subjects. We show that although blood flow kinetics is slower for high-intensity compared with low-intensity exercise, this does not result in slower O(2) uptake kinetics. These results indicate that muscle O(2) delivery does not limit O(2) uptake during knee-extension exercise in healthy humans.