Tribal Fitness

Tribal Fitness with Misty Tripoli was originally a 2006 Guthy-Renker informercial set of five DVDs: Yoga Groove, Pilates Groove, Spirit Groove, Latin Groove, and 8-Pack Tribal Abs. The first four DVDs each came in its own standard DVD case with artwork, while the last was in a small round clear case. I never saw the infomercial and I acquired each of the DVDs through various trades on the VF exchange, so I'm not sure if there were originally any bonus materials (i.e., rotation or diet plan) included.

Misty leads the workouts and is accompanied by three young women and one young man (I doubt any of them are over the age of 30). The background exercisers do not talk. One of them is named Heidi - she is the modifier; if any of the rest of them are ever addressed by name, it escapes my memory. The background music in each of the workouts is drum beats, provided by three people you occasionally catch a glimpse of, off to the side in the background; one of them is Misty's friend Benjamin Black. The set is sparse: a hardwood floor, a canvas backdrop, some potted trees, nothing special really, but the lighting is good. Mats are used in the yoga, pilates and abs workouts; everyone is barefoot in all of the workouts except Latin Groove.

Tribal Fitness Spirit Groove was the only DVD in this set that was eventually made available for individual purchase; Collage Video carried it for a while as Body Groove Spirit Groove (dropping Tribal Fitness from the title), but doesn't offer it any longer. It is a loosely choreographed low impact modern-dance inspired Nia-feeling type workout between 38 and 39 minutes long. Misty gives you a few simple steps to do and encourages you to put your own spin on them and to work at the level of intensity that feels right for you that day. You don't have to know how to dance or remember any tricky choreography - it is perfect for someone with two left feet. Misty has you run through the "routine" a few times, but it doesn't feel like TIFTTing. There are several spots where she has you freeze and then do free-flowing slow motion moves. At first I was annoyed with these breaks, but over time they have grown on me. I enjoy this workout and think beginners and intermediates who are open to freedom of expression can have a lot of fun with it.

Tribal Fitness Yoga Groove clocks in somewhere between 39 and 40 minutes long. Misty's instruction is very beginner friendly - you do not need to know yoga terminology. Throughout the workout, Misty has you wiggling your hips and doing wavey-snakey-arm moves, which are things you wouldn't find in traditional yoga, together with down dog, plank and cobra moves and modified sun salutations, among others. She ends with a short relaxation where she has you sigh several times to release tension. I have used this workout quite a bit - it is probably my favorite DVD in the set.

Tribal Fitness Pilates Groove is between 32 and 33 minutes long. Misty starts you out with standing lower body work before moving to the mat. I don't know much about pilates - I haven't really liked it the few times I tried it in the past, but I did enjoy this workout and would hazard a guess that it is unlike any other pilates workout available. It is probably most suitable for beginners and low intermediates.

Tribal Fitness Latin Groove is a lower intensity cardio-dance routine that clocks in somewhere between 27 and 28 minutes long. It is more choreographed than Spirit Groove, but still simple to follow. It is the only workout in the set where the participants are shown wearing shoes, although I don't think they are really necessary as there is no high impact. I can't quite put my finger on the reason why, but this is my least favorite Misty workout.

In Tribal Abs, Misty begins with about 3 minutes of standing ab work consisting of various twisting type motions before having you go to the floor for a series of crunches and boat pose moves. The entire routine is between 8 and 9 minutes long and Misty encourages it to be done as often as possible.