Is my trainer right? Weights...

I am a little surprised she has you doing 3 reps for your 1st time lifting ever. I started strength training using the biggest loser book, it always has people starting with one rep as a beginner, then two as you get stronger for the intermediate and finally the final stage, advanced, is 3 reps. How much is she having you lift, I have been doing it for a while. The most I can do with my arms with free weights is 10lbs, 8lbs and shoulders I am lucky to do 5lbs.

Will I just get better?

The only thing I can say is that is just a ton of volume, with mostly redundant isolation exercises. Beginners (and all lifters really, but experienced lifters already know this) should have a core of compound lifts. You have 1 in there, and it's a seated press. Do them standing up and help build your core too.

A back day without deadlifts? 5-6 different lifts for shoulders, which are a small muscle group? Multiple row/pulldown/pullovers to work every angle but no barbell rows?

This type of routine is how people get discouraged and quit.

As a beginner, I wouldn't even consider a split routine where you are doing back/shoulders on 1 day, and then whatever else they have you doing on other days. Full body with compound lifts will get you better results in a more efficient manner.

Deadlift
Standing Military Press
Lat Pulldowns/Chinups and/or barbell rows

Hit those lifts good and hard and they will do everything that laundry list of exercises will do, with better effect.

I know it's the standard response, but look into the 5x5 type of program. It's really a nice program for beginners/intermediate lifters. Even for more experienced lifters, it has everything you need to make gains. Tell your trainer you want to learn proper form on squats, deadlifts, bench press, overhead press, and barbell rows. If they can't help you, find someone who can.

What are stronglifts 5x5

I hired a personal trainer for 8 sessions so I could learn how to lift weights. I have done cardio and don't need any help with that, but weights was just too confusing for me to figure out by reading about it. So I hired her. I am in so much pain from my first two sessions with her I can't even explain it, I'm sure that's a good thing though.

My question is the amount of reps she has me doing. It just seems like a lot from different things I have read. And I just don't know how I am going to do that many as the first two sessions were more just teaching me, so I didn't even do 1/2 of how many she wants me to be doing, and I could hardly do it. I know for a fact I won't be able to do how many reps she wants me to do at the weight she wants me to do it. Of course when I told her that she does the whole "Yes you can! We ARE going to do it, you can't give up, blah blah blah"

Anyway, I will just give you an example of day one:

Back And Shoulders

Close Grip Lat Pull-downs 8 reps light weight, 5 reps med weight, 8 reps heavy weight x3

Standing Lat Press 5 reps med weight, 8 reps heavy x3

Lying Dumbbell Pullovers 5 reps med weight, 8 reps heavy x3

Seated Single Arm Rows 3 sets of 8 reps each arm, heavy

Low Back Extensions on Ball 10 reps x3

Seated Shoulder Press with Bar 8 reps light weight, 5 reps med weight, 8 reps heavy weight x3

Upright Rows with Bar 5reps med weight, 8 reps heavy x3

Dumbbell front raises 8 reps each arm 3 sets light/med/heavy

Dumbell side raises 5 reps med, 8 reps heavy x3

Rear Delt Cable Rows 3 sets, 8 reps each arm heavy

Dumbbell shrugs 5 reps med, 8 reps heavy x3

So since I have never ever done any kind of weights I really have no idea if this is normal or not? The 3x's of 8 reps of heavy is just hard for me to wrap my head around. Since I only did the one rep and could hardly do that I just don't see doing 3 reps of them! Will I just get better?

The only thing I can say is that is just a ton of volume, with mostly redundant isolation exercises. Beginners (and all lifters really, but experienced lifters already know this) should have a core of compound lifts. You have 1 in there, and it's a seated press. Do them standing up and help build your core too.

A back day without deadlifts? 5-6 different lifts for shoulders, which are a small muscle group? Multiple row/pulldown/pullovers to work every angle but no barbell rows?

This type of routine is how people get discouraged and quit.

As a beginner, I wouldn't even consider a split routine where you are doing back/shoulders on 1 day, and then whatever else they have you doing on other days. Full body with compound lifts will get you better results in a more efficient manner.

Deadlift
Standing Military Press
Lat Pulldowns/Chinups and/or barbell rows

Hit those lifts good and hard and they will do everything that laundry list of exercises will do, with better effect.

I know it's the standard response, but look into the 5x5 type of program. It's really a nice program for beginners/intermediate lifters. Even for more experienced lifters, it has everything you need to make gains. Tell your trainer you want to learn proper form on squats, deadlifts, bench press, overhead press, and barbell rows. If they can't help you, find someone who can.

The only thing I can say is that is just a ton of volume, with mostly redundant isolation exercises. Beginners (and all lifters really, but experienced lifters already know this) should have a core of compound lifts. You have 1 in there, and it's a seated press. Do them standing up and help build your core too.

A back day without deadlifts? 5-6 different lifts for shoulders, which are a small muscle group? Multiple row/pulldown/pullovers to work every angle but no barbell rows?

This type of routine is how people get discouraged and quit.

As a beginner, I wouldn't even consider a split routine where you are doing back/shoulders on 1 day, and then whatever else they have you doing on other days. Full body with compound lifts will get you better results in a more efficient manner.

Deadlift
Standing Military Press
Lat Pulldowns/Chinups and/or barbell rows

Hit those lifts good and hard and they will do everything that laundry list of exercises will do, with better effect.

I know it's the standard response, but look into the 5x5 type of program. It's really a nice program for beginners/intermediate lifters. Even for more experienced lifters, it has everything you need to make gains. Tell your trainer you want to learn proper form on squats, deadlifts, bench press, overhead press, and barbell rows. If they can't help you, find someone who can.

Your trainer is a f*cking idiot.

There is no reason on earth for a recreational lifter to do that many exercises for one general area -- ever. To do it at the beginning is beyond stupid--and, believe me, I've seen plenty of stupid.

There is no professional fitness organization that would endorse such an approach.

I find this to be a chronic problem with trainers--you pay them a lot of money and they feel like if they don't do something impressive on day 1, the client won't think he or she is getting their money's worth.

However, you must always match the workout to the ability and experience of the client. You wanted some lifting guidelines--there is nothing wrong with taking the first couple of sessions to focus on basic technique and to work at a lower intensity and volume while you begin the process of adaptation.

A trainer should have an overall plan for you and should explain that up front. I always tell my clients the game plan and I manage their expectations by telling the beginners that we are first going to build a foundation before we build anything else. If they tell me they can only do a limited amount of sessions, then, after the initial instruction, we space them out so that I can get them to the point where they can go effectively on their own.

Let me be clear: what she is having you do is NOT "normal". There is no reason to push a beginner to that level of pain and soreness. Starting a resistance training program is a process--in the beginning only a modest training stimulus is necessary to see improvement. It is much more effective to start light and increase with frequent smaller steps. Then, when the time comes to push to a new level, the body is ready for it and the training is much more effective.

Beating someone up on day 1 doesn't get them into shape any faster--it just hurts more. It's irresponsible and inexcusable

Agreed.
I am a certified personal trainer at a large athletic club
The trainer should be designing a plan depending on what your goals are. I start deconditioned clients off with a stabalaztion phase, 15 reps 2-3 sets. The 13, 14 and 15 rep should be getting harder with you maybe able to do 3 more or so. The exercises are also dictated by their fitness evaluation. Honestly I would ask for a different trainer.