According to NASM's personal training cert, static stretching before a workout can have adverse effects on lifting, sprinting, etc. Static stretching is fine for those just starting to work out or whose focus is on stability. Dynamic stretching, on the other hand, has been shown to improve performance during resistance training. Self myofascial release is recommended before workouts no matter what your workout is, though. Cooldowns are also recommended as they slow the heart rate to normal levels, cool the body, and encourage blood flow back to organs instead of skeletal muscle.

yes it can, mainly just static stretching though and you need to do a good bit of it. I tend to do an applied stretch for whatever lift im going to perform. For instance if it's legs day and im squatting, i'll throw just enough weight on the bar to actually help me stretch as opposed to my large leg muscles resisting the motion with an empty bar (usually like 135 or so) and do a slow very controlled set of 10-12. Static stretching is best for afterwards but i tend to use foam rollers instead anyway, it will still knead the muscle out very well plus loosen up the fascia, especially around the hams and quads.