What are some tips that people could use in the weeks leading up the week they go to the beach, to make a person look as cut as possible. FOr instance, should a person use creatine the week before they head to the beach or should they use that as the week they are off creatine. What would be the best way to cycle creatine in the preceding weeks of a vacation. Another example would be the sodium intake. Is it best to minimize sodium intake as much as possible in the days before heading to the beach? Any other tips would be appreciated.

well creatine may may make your muscle look a bit bigger, but not as cut

There is no supplement that will make you look that much better (or worse) in a week prior to going to the beach. What will help you is a clean diet and plenty of cardio to keep the body fat off or continuously lowering. If you want to look good on the beach, a sound diet and exercise program are the only things that'll get you where you want to be. Probably not what you want to hear, but it's the truth...

-R

You should get Arnolds New Encycolpedia of bodybuilding. (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0684857219/ref=nosim/worldofvideo60-20)

In it, arnold goes through step by step what he does 1-2 weeks before a competition - there's certain tricks he does to give him the boost, cut look.

There are actually various things someone could do to look their absolute leanest. These include carb depletion followed by carb loading, water restriction, and sodium manipulation. But I don't really think this approach is appropriate for spending the day in the hot sun. So, just do what Bluestreak said. Clean diet, hard workouts. Watch the sodium the couple days before the beach.