John, I have had no formal education in biochemistry (like yourself) but I do have a working knowledge, I still have a problem however in you advocating protein intake prior to training and here's why :-
Firstly, I do realize I may be old school bodybuilding but I do keep up to date with contemporary thinking and I have to say, a lot of the bodybuilding gurus do advocate protein intake right after a work out.
Now, a lot of these gurus aren't just roid-heads, they are academics, well versed in biochemistry as applied to athletes and especially bodybuilders.
These guys are in fact real academics who have found their way into bodybuilding and so's their agendas tend to be more scientific than indulging themselves as bodybuilders.
I am not saying this gives them an automatic right to be correct in what they say but it does lend some weight mate.
One of the reasons there is an advocacy of post training protein intake is because as you know, it takes considerable energy to digest protein, (moreso than carbs or fats I believe) and this is why after you have a big meal, you feel fatigued because a lot of your energy resources are used for digestion of that protein, or anything else you may have eaten.
This would then suggest that this energy (used for digestion) would be better used for the training regime thus optimizing the session.
And as far as I know, the fact there is protein (there generally is anyway) in your system (your advocacy of eating protein prior to training) does not effect the degree of protein synthesis when compared to ingesting protein post training.
I have seen, and trust me John, I have looked extensively for, no evidence whatsoever to suggest that there is a greater uptake of protein by the body with pre training ingestion as against post, obviously, if the same amount is ingested.
All that is different is, the digestion curve is shifted in time and not the amount synthesized.
PS I know this doesn't apply to John, but please, please, no Google pseudo-intellectuals need respond to this post, we have a few on this site where they become instant experts in any given subject area with the help of Google at their fingertips, I can smell them a mile off and if anybody tries it, I will expose them in a heartbeat
PPS You listening Mikey ?????