Add JQuery Animations Before And After Every Postback Request Is Made Inside UpdatePanel?

I am trying to add some JQuery animations before and after every postback request is made inside my UpdatePanel. What I have so far is something like this:

<script type="text/javascript">
$(document).ready(function () {
Sys.WebForms.PageRequestManager.getInstance().add_endRequest(EndRequestHandler);
Sys.WebForms.PageRequestManager.getInstance().add_beginRequest(BeginRequestHandler);
function EndRequestHandler(sender, args) {
if (args.get_error() == undefined) {
// End Request (1)
}
}
function BeginRequestHandler(sender, args) {
// Start Request (2)
}
$('.MyButtons').live('click', function () {
// Before request (3)
});
});
</script>
<asp:UpdatePanel runat="server">
<ContentTemplate>
<asp:Button runat="server" CssClass="MyButtons"/>
</ContentTemplate>
</asp:UpdatePanel>

Let say I want to put some animation code at (3) that will be executed and then proceed with BeginRequestHandler function. How should I do that? Because right now the whole process executes 3,2,1 and I dn't know how to add that delay between steps 3 and 2. In other words I want to execute step 2 manually at step 3. Don't really want to use hidden buttons to do that.