Maybe it's just me but sometimes codeforces editorials aren't the best they could be at times, especially in some of the older contest. As a beginner, this makes it slightly difficult to practice. I haven't tried any other cp websites like code chef or topcoder. Are their editorials any better?

Hi all, I am new to codeforces and competitive programming in general. Right now I am just trying to solve as many practice problems as I can. When I get stuck on how to implement a solution, I try and look around for other people's solutions. When I find a solution that I can make sense of, I will code it up pretty much line for line the same, work through it so I understand it, and submit it so I can keep track and make sure the implementation is correct. Obviously in a contest situation, this is not allowed but is it considered bad practice/cheating if I'm just using the practice archives to submit others solutions? I don't want to get myself or others flagged if this is the case.

edit: Looking back at a couple of my practice submissions, it seems like I actually have been doing a decent job "paraphrasing" the solutions of others I used, bar one or two instances where our codes were pretty similar. Hoping this is not a big deal as I'm gaining nothing from it as its just practice archives and I'm citing the true author in the comments.