A skilled iron palm practitioner will be able to break bricks and concrete slabs with ease.  By the same token, he will be able to do significant damage to an enemy with a strike.  Some advanced practitioners have such a developed control of their power that they can break a single selected brick in a stack of bricks.  This ability translates to being able to do internal damage to your opponent in a fight.  Of course, this ability requires dedicated training.

That same ability allows the hands to absorb damage without injury.  A kung fu student with iron palm abilities can block powerful punches from his opponent using his hands and not suffer injury.

Most iron palm training regimens require the use of dit da jow, a topical liniment, or some other type of liniment to help protect and heal the hands during and after training sessions.  Since training takes place every day, the hands must be fully healed before the next training session occurs.  Dit da jow helps to facilitate healing.