"Started playing just over a week ago, completely lost on where to start (mostly)"

#PokemonGO: So as the title says, I've been playing for just over a week. I've been doing all sorts of reading about leveling, how to properly throw a ball for higher catch rates, what pokemon are good (gym tier stuff) but beyond all of this I don't really know what I should be doing to level up / be able to participate in raids or gyms.Every gym I see has the same handful of pokemon in it and usually they are a considerable amount of cp higher than anything I have - the only gyms I can take are ones that have been left alone and the motivation is terrible. Also after doing some looking on YouTube and seeing a guy just flying all over the world and having a full bag of 3k+ pokemon I can't help but feel like it's impossible to compete with "spoofers" (?)Would anybody be willing to give me some tips on how I can play more effectively? I live in Edmonton AB Canada if it matters. I know pokemon go saturation is very different in different areas of the world.Edit - wow you guys are incredible. When I get home from work I'm going to go through each and every message and piece of advice, I'm really grateful for every reply. Thank you lots SilphRoad sub! via /r/TheSilphRoad http://ift.tt/2BHiSe3