The method developed by him supposes an initial comprehensive evaluation system similar to a general medical examination, in order to design individualized routines according to each student's genetic aptitude, level of fitness, health conditions, and personal goals.
He is the personal trainer of several high-profile people from various fields, like business magnate George Soros, economist and former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker, former General Electric CEO Jack Welch (who recovered from muscular atrophy under Sitaras' supervision), journalist Charlie Rose, record executive David Geffen and NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson (who was the first racing driver to become the Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year and who won seven championships).
His plan was financed by some well-known Wall Street clients, who put in nearly $1.5 million, and the club, Sitaras Fitness, opened in November 2007,[1] in Upper East Side, Manhattan.
[3] It quickly became a place frequented by high-profile people from various fields,[4][5] like business magnate George Soros, economist and former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker, former General Electric CEO Jack Welch,[6] journalist Charlie Rose,[7] record executive David Geffen or NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson.
[9] A shareholder dispute appeared in December 2008, when, in the context of the economic downturn, three of the nine board members wanted to make important changes at the club in order to increase membership and their returns.
[1] The Sitaras Method consists in an initial comprehensive evaluation system (which can take between 6-12 sessions) for assessing flexibility, cardio-respiratory fitness, strength, endurance, and body fat.
They resume the muscle evaluation every three months with a variety of tools including digital scales, body fat and flexibility readers, and proprietary fitness software that helps track the clients strength gains over time.
Among people known of benefiting from it, Jack Welch mentioned that he managed to recover his strength after a staphylococcal infection which put him in a coma for 108 days and left part of his arms and legs atrophied.
When he started to put this method into practice, he described his approach as inspired from architecture, first a foundation should be established and then plan the structure upon the clients’ specific purposes (weight loss, flexibility, strength and power, cardiovascular health etc.).
The method, intensity and frequency of a tailored fitness program is established based on the analysis of basic factors like age, medical histories and skills with consideration of requirements and purposes.
John Sitaras was also a special guest speaker for Turn 2 Foundation, a charity organization founded by Derek Jeter, with a mission to help children and teenagers avoid drug and alcohol addiction, and to reward those who show high academic achievement and adopt healthier lifestyles.
[40] On July 7, 2012, at the "Unmasked" fundraising event in Bridgehampton, New York sponsored by Alexander Soros, a Sitaras Fitness gym package was auctioned in favor of the NGO Global Witness, an advocacy and activist organization that fights natural resource-related conflict and corruption and associated environmental and human rights abuses.