To increase the size of the muscles in your arms and shoulders, complete high-volume workouts consistently. Choose exercises that are effective at developing your shoulders and your major arm muscles, which includes your biceps and triceps.
Shoulder Exercises
To effectively develop your shoulders, perform shoulder presses, dips and lateral raises. To complete a shoulder press, stand with dumbbells held up at your shoulders and your palms facing forward. Push the dumbbells toward the ceiling, and bring them together at the top. Then bring them down to the starting position.
For dips, sit sideways on a bench with your legs straight and your heels on the floor. Grip the edge of the bench with your hands on either side of your hips. Lift your hips off the edge of the bench. Bend your elbows to lower your hips toward the floor.
For lateral raises, hold a dumbbell in each hand with your arms by your side and your palms facing each other. Keep your elbows straight as you raise your arms to the side until they're parallel with the floor.
Bicep Exercises
To effectively build the size of your biceps, perform bicep curls, concentration curls and hammer curls. To complete bicep curls, allow your arms to hang at your side while holding dumbbells with your palms facing forward. Keep your elbows near your torso as you bend them and bring the dumbbells toward your face.
Hammer curls are done using the same technique, except your palms face each other throughout the movement. When completing concentrate curls, work one arm at a time. Sit on a bench with your knees bent to 90 degrees and your legs apart. Bend at your waist, and place the elbow of the arm you are focusing on firmly against the inside of the thigh of the same side. Begin with your elbow extended so the dumbbell is hanging toward the floor. Bend your elbow to complete the curl.
Triceps Exercises
Exercises for developing your triceps include overhead triceps extension, triceps pushups and lying triceps extension. To perform overhead triceps extension, hold a single dumbbell with both hands over your head with your elbows extended. Bend your elbows and bring the dumbbell behind your head.
To complete triceps pushups, perform a regular pushup, but place your hands directly under your shoulders. To complete lying triceps extension, lie on your back on a bench. Hold a single dumbbell with both hands with your arms extended toward the ceiling. Bend your elbows to drop the dumbbell toward your forehead.
Training Frequency and Volume
According to Dr. Joseph A. Chromiak of the National Strength and Conditioning Association, to stimulate muscle growth, you need to complete at least eight sets that specifically target the muscles you're trying to build. Choose at least three exercises for each your shoulders, biceps and triceps for each workout and complete three sets of six to 12 repetitions each. Rest three to five minutes in between each set and exercise.
Your workouts should be on nonconsecutive days, as your muscles require at least 48 hours of rest between sessions to heal and rebuilf. Lift either two days per week, such as on Mondays and Thursdays, or three days per week, such as on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
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