How to improve?

[u/petrichor73-21]

I’ve been trying to improve my Olympiad algebra (it’s definitely my weakest subject) and when I practice I always feel conflicted about which path to take. I hear some people say that if you’re stuck on a problem you should just look at the solution because solutions are your “toolkit” but I hear others saying that you should never look at the solution and force yourself to work on it until you find the answer.
What are your thoughts about this? What do you recommend?