Originally Posted by
wens
Optimal pacing for generating max power for short efforts (in this context say shorter than vo2 max duration) is to start harder and hang on. You get to fully recruit more energy systems than if you even pace or negative split by going out harder. For longer, aerobic efforts, the advantage of blowing out the more rapid energy systems is diminished, and the cost if you go out too fast is high, so targeting negative split only gives up a tiny bit of potential speed but averts a lot of risk.
That is how I have been doing 30s intervals. Max, hang on and crash & burn (aka how to make 30s feel like a minute). Long rest between, 15m+. Looking for improvement in power at the end of the interval. I might shorten them a bit, fading a lot the last 5s or so. I don't know if that's helping me or just adding fatigue.