Hey guys, I've had a set of Global knives for a few months now and love them.   I cut up a whole chicken the other day, and had a bit of trouble getting through the bone, so use my large chef's knife as an axe/butcher's knife and chipped it in a few places. Global is supposed to be the superior brand, but is this normal?   So how do you guys handle tougher materials? Butcher/cheap/dull knives? 
As you can see here, you can do it with a chef's knife.  I think you must try to cut between bones or around them, not through them. Gristle shouldn't be a problem for your knife. 